Waiting On An Angel
by kvanhee
Summary: Damon finds Elena half beaten to death, and St. Stefan? Nowhere to be found. What happens when Elena finds her only real comfort has always been in Damon Salvatore...
1. Waiting On An Angel

Ok so I don't usually write fanfiction, usually when I get something stuck in my head I draw it but this is a little hard to express on a sketchpad... Bear with me It's rated M for later chapters there WILL be some Delena Smut in here :)

I desperately need to get this out of my system... so here goes...

* * *

"Who's the liar now?" Katherine glared at him with those ridiculously dark eyes, dark eyes that to Damon had only begun to resemble Elena's more and more. He found Katherine to be less and less the woman that he had fallen in love with in 1864, in fact he couldn't quite grasp what he'd seen in her. Not compared to Elena at least. "You hurt me today." She whined and he felt like celebrating.

"Tit for Tat" He quipped while reading the journal, and becoming more and more disinterested in this conversation.

"You were mean" She continued, and he wondered how she could honestly be surprised at that, she had provoked him after all. But then she moved in a very provocative way, the way she had before, a long time ago. The shirt falling over one side of her shoulder and revealing patches of skin Damon didn't want to be reminded of and her dark brown curls falling over her shoulders. "and very rough, and monstrous." The words drawled out of her as she began to position herself above him.

"You deserved it." Damon quipped before looking back down at the journal, he couldn't afford to be distracted, and most certainly not by Katherine.

"I like this Damon."

"Katherine," He had now let her crawl over him, moving her languid body over his, while he put his hands on each side of her face. "Katherine there are sixteen other bedrooms in this house." He let her move her face close to his, remembering for only a moment how she smelled of roses and the split moment that he'd been happy with her "Go find one." He grumbled louder and then shoved her off of him before returning absentmindedly to the journals. He allowed himself one last glance at her before she walked off, seemingly perturbed at not getting what she wanted. If that was all he could do to piss her off, then he would do it as much as he could. Keep Katherine from getting what she wants.

_Bravo! _He thought, how very heroic of himself to deprive himself of what used to be very good sex, for the sake of Elena and Saint Stefan. Two months ago he would have quite literally killed to have Katherine throwing herself at him in his bed. Now though, he couldn't look at her without thinking of Elena, and it bothered him that Elena had gotten so deep into his head. She was under his skin, and she wasn't even his. He tossed the journal aside, having lost interest in that too, he was about to have a glass of scotch and call it a night when he received a phone call, Stefan of course. He considered not picking up for a moment, but then he thought better of it, he was on semi-good terms with his little brother, he thought it would take very little effort to keep it that way. It was less exhausting than arguing with him all the time.

"What?" He picked up, and considered to himself that it better be something good, because he was in fact tired.

"_Isobel showed up at Elena's house._" His little brother knew him better than to call him out for his aggravated tone over the phone. He gave an exasperated sigh. He thought that _he _was trouble, hanging around Elena no one ever seemed to get a moment's rest. He wondered what the woman wanted now, she was almost as bad as Katherine, really. He had begun to wonder why in the world he had ever turned her. Honestly, it was probably out of boredom, or to piss of Stefan. Those had most usually been his reasons for everything he did back then.

"How much do you want to bet this has something to do with Jonathan?"

"_I really don't care Damon, you made her, I need you to deal with this. Elena and Alaric are trying to talk to a very upset Jenna now so if you could just-_"

"Chill out Stefan, I'm on it. She won't be making any more house calls."

"_Damon, one more thing._"

"What?"

Stefan sighed, getting on his older brother's nerves before he finally continued "_Isobel was invited in._"

"Shit."

"_Yeah._"

"Where is she now?"

"She left, I have a feeling she went to find Jonathan though."

"I'll find her." Damon hung up the phone and set down his empty glass before heading back out the door. He felt tired as it is, aggravated with Katherine, and witches, and even Elena at times, and hungry. He was starving for some blood, a bloodbag would have to do for now, he didn't have much time to hunt if he was looking for Isobel but really. After he dealt with his little _offspring _he would indulge, just a little.

* * *

Damon felt no satisfaction at the fact that he was right. That grubby Jonathan Gilbert was proving to be much more of a pest than he thought, not only was he still under some strangely misguided mission to protect Elena, in his own twisted way. He was reporting back to Isobel. The man is the very definition of a hypocrite; Damon thought to himself as he got back to his room and sank down into his very large and soft bed, he kicked off his shoes and disregarded the rest of his clothing before falling asleep with one arm over his eyes.

The stupid man thought that _he and Stefan_ were bad for Elena; the idiot was doing more harm than good while he was here and he was definitely beginning to get in everyone's way. Damon couldn't comprehend why on the one hand he could be so hateful towards vampires and on the other hand be completely, head over heels in love with one of the most manipulative vampire bitches that ever walked the earth. Other than Katherine. Jonathan put Elena in more danger than was needed by calling Isobel, and there was no doubt in his mind that Elena would be safe as long as a Salvatore brother was around to keep an eye on her, there was not a thing, in this world or the next that could compel either of them to hurt her.

Damon would never lay a finger on her. He couldn't.

Like every night before Elena came floating before his eyes just before he fell asleep. The way she had looked at him at the top of those stairs, hopeful and happy to see _him. _

He let sleep capture him in that moment, forcing himself to forget how she had fallen into his little brother's arms instead of his in the end. He wasn't her prince charming, not even close, but he would protect her.

* * *

Damon woke up what must have been hours later. It was still dark, or it was dark again, he wasn't sure, there was a phone call again and he had a sudden urge to toss the damn gadget across the room without even considering who it might be. He cursed under his breath instead and checked the little screen that was flashing Elena's name and picture. He found himself frowning instead of feeling some sense of happiness, the dilemma to have her all to himself was constantly pressing in his head, and not just there, his whole body seemed to want her, and need her in a way that he'd never felt before. Not even with Katherine had he felt so desperate to be with someone, even if it only meant being her friend. He needed her presence around him, it gave him some sense of sanity, only to feel completely out of sorts and reckless after she had gone again.

"Hello Miss Gilbert." He drawled in what was considered his utmost charming voice.

"_What? No!"_ Elena's voice rang out from the other end but Damon in his sleepy daze couldn't quite grasp what was going on.

"Elena, can you hear me? you called me by accident." He grumbled angrily into the little device.

"_Stop it! No don't!_" That sounded more urgent and Damon found himself sitting up in his bed.

"Elena, where are you?" His heart sank when he heard something smash. Elena's voice was coming out in between sobs then, and Damon reached for the other phone, the landline that they hardly ever used and dialed Bonnie's number first. Damon couldn't believe this was happening, _where the hell was Saint Stefan when you needed him? _"_Please stop, I'm not Katherine! No, please!_"

He could hear Elena's faint screams on the phone that he held at a distance from his ear while he got Bonnie on the phone.

"Something's happening to Elena, I need you to figure out where she is. Now Bonnie! She's in trouble." Bonnie swore under her breath, something highly inappropriate for a girl her age and then Damon heard her get to work.

"_Damon? What's wrong with Elena?_" Jeremy's voice appeared at the phone and Damon ignored why Jeremy would be with Bonnie at this time of night, instead he considered whether or not he should let Jeremy hear what he was listening in on but then decided it was better not to make the kid hysterical.

"She's in trouble, she called me but I don't know where she is." Damon kept it short before he heard Bonnie's chanting in the background and Jeremy answered again.

"_She's at the Grill Damon. Are you _sure _she's in trouble? Couldn't it be Katherine messing with you again?_" Damon took a deep breath and considered it for a moment but then didn't care. Even if it was Katherine and one of her games, he needed to make sure Elena was alright.

"It doesn't matter, I need to make sure."

"_We'll meet you there._" Bonnie was back on the phone and Damon sighed for a moment. There was no time to argue with them here. Elena's screams had been reduced to pleads and whimpers on his cellphone and he felt his chest tighten in fear that she was seriously hurt. He didn't bother responding to them, instead he grabbed his leather jacket and shoes and was out the door as fast as his feet could carry him. He was beyond worried now, he was terrified that Elena was hurt, every time something like this happened he felt like he had already lost her, until he saw her again and he could breathe again. It would be the same this time, he swore to himself, he would find her, and Stefan would have gotten there just before him to play the hero and he would be able to think straight again.

Damon reached the grill and everything was closed, for the first time that night he checked his watch as it read 5 A.M. and his breath began to hitch again. He hated this sense of hopelessness whenever Elena was in trouble. The air was cold tonight which bothered him, not because of the coldness, but because the cool temperature made it hard for any scent to linger long. If Elena had been here he couldn't smell her. He stood in the parking lot for a few moments listening for her with closed eyes as he considered where she might be. For a few seconds he thought that maybe it was one of Katherine's mind games but why had Bonnie's spell shown Elena to be here of all places. He took out his phone, suddenly having an idea as he dialled Elena's number and hit call.

If he hadn't been a vampire he wouldn't have heard the sound of Elena's phone buzzing as it rang, he sped to the place where her phone was lighting up every two seconds in the alley behind the Grill. He picked it up off the ground and hung up the call before listening very closely for any sign of Elena and then he saw her. She was lying on the ground, her long dark hair sprawled out over the cold, wet ground and she wasn't moving. Damon choked on his shock, his blue eyes darkening as he came closer and smelled the blood around her and knelt down to check her. Her eyes shot open very suddenly before she flinched out of his way and whimpered at the movement.

"Please don't-" She started, her voice was hoarse from screaming and there were marks all over her body. Her knuckles and knees had scrapes on them, her lip was cut and a bruise was already forming beneath her left eye. There were other bruises on her arms and shoulders.

"Elena, shhh, it's me, it's Damon." He whispered, holding back a hiss as he saw the bruises around her neck too. He wanted terribly to take her into his arms but he thought better of it, considering that she might be seriously hurt. Instead he took off his leather jacket and draped it over her bare shoulders, her normally olive skin looked extremely pale and her lips were beginning to turn a blueish colour.

"Damon?" She asked and he smiled at her reassuringly, brushing some hair out of her face and noticing there was blood on the back of her hair and that she was extremely cold. She cried then, heaving desperate sobs, that made Damon think she was going to hyperventilate if he didn't do something.

"Listen Elena, I'm going to pick you up, I need to get you to a hospital."

"Damon?" Damon heard Bonnie's cries from the Grill's parking lot, Elena simply looked at him with a dazed expression, her cold bruised skin was making him angry at no one in particular. She whimpered for only a moment when he picked her up, but once she was in his arms she rested her head against his chest and closed her eyes. She had never looked thinner or more fragile and the sight of it infuriated him. Someone had done this to her.

"Holy Shit Elena!" Jeremy ran towards him when they sighted him and he looked like his eyes might bulge out of their sockets. Bonnie was frowning from Elena to Damon.

"Can you give her your blood?" Damon wished he could, but the truth was that he himself was depleted, he was starving and tired, and he didn't think his blood would help her more severe wounds it certainly wouldn't heal the bruises. Those would have to heal the human way. He cursed himself though for not eating properly tonight, of all the nights.

"She has broken bones and my blood won't help the bruises, only the wound on her head." Jeremy looked like he was going to be sick. "And I think she has hypothermia, I'm going to take her to the hospital, but do you have a blanket in the car?"

"We can take her." Bonnie offered while she tucked the fleece blanket around Elena, causing the girl to whimper again, Damon just shook his head.

"It'll be faster if I do it. Just meet me there." He didn't wait for her response. Instead he ran as fast as he could, and trying very hard not to jostle her as he did so. _ And where the hell was Saint Fucking Stefan in all of this?_

_

* * *

_

Damon was stuck in the waiting room like every other ordinary human in the world while Elena was in surgery. Her injuries were clearly more severe than he had thought, the broken bones in her arm needed to be set, the head injury needed to be looked at, and apparently she'd been so severely beaten that she had internal bleeding. Damon was sitting across from Alaric and Jenna which was perhaps the most awkward thing in the world. Jeremy and Bonnie were cuddled together in the other seats, Bonnie asleep against Jeremy's arm. Caroline walked into the room, for only a second she looked at everyone angrily, she walked straight over to Damon placing her hands on her hips and frowning at him accusingly.

"Why the hell am I the last person to hear about this?" She demanded but Damon only shrugged, deciding to let it go. The truth was that she hadn't picked up her phone, as much as Damon teased her, he actually liked having Blondie around. She was actually useful in a crisis situation like this, usually becoming overbearing with planning things, and buying flowers and generally annoying the hell out of people. She huffed when he didn't respond and sat down next to him, to Damon's surprise placing her hand on his arm. "Do we know if she's ok yet?"

"The doctor hasn't updated us yet, she's still in surgery." Jenna croaked from where she was sitting and tightened her grip on Ric's hand. Whatever issues they'd had with Isobel showing up on her doorstep, had been resolved in the face of Elena's sudden accident.

"Where the hell is Stefan in all this? Has anyone called him?" Caroline burst out.

"We can't reach him." Jeremy said sounding angry now. "He should've been there."

"Jeremy it's not his fault." Alaric responded in the most calming voice he could muster under these circumstances.

"Like hell it isn't! If he had been there this wouldn't have happened. He knows the drill, we don't leave Elena completely alone EVER!" Damon didn't respond to it, Jeremy was completely right. It was exactly what he had been thinking ever since he'd gotten the phone call. "If Stefan had planned on going anywhere he should have told at least one of us, especially with fucking Isobel being in town and Katherine. I mean what the hell was he thinking?"

"Jeremy!" His aunt mustered up enough strength to reprimand him for swearing but she looked entirely shocked, before she turned to Alaric with very large questioning eyes. "Who's Katherine again?"

"Elena's doppelganger." he said absentmindedly and patted her hand and she stared down at the floor, lost in thought. _Oh good, she's in on the family secret. _Damon thought to himself and ran a hand through his hair. He was tired again, this time it was from worry and the fear that had gripped him so severely. He wanted to sleep, but Elena wouldn't let him, he needed to know that she was alright. Patience was never his strong suit, he was impulsive and dangerous. But right now he needed to be patient.

"Damon Salvatore?" There was a woman standing in front of them suddenly, she was wearing a grey suit, blue blouse and black shoes, her brown hair was cropped into her neck and she looked like she might be Latin. She had very pretty hazel, almond shaped looked around the waiting room at the people there before Damon spoke up.

"Yes?"

"Are you Mr. Damon Salvatore?"

"Yes."

"I'm detective Stabler, I understand you were the one who found Miss Gilbert and brought her in to the hospital."

"Yes." He eyed the woman suspiciously, it didn't take a psychic to know that she suspected him for being first on the scene. He'd know a few cops throughout the years.

"If you have a moment I'm going to have to ask you some questions." He shrugged thinking it best to go along, knowing full well that whoever did this would never be found by the police, he would make sure of that. He stood up and followed her to an empty corner in the waiting room where they sat down. Damon stretched his long legs out before him and leaned back in the uncomfortable chair, something he didn't usually do. He saw out the corner of his eye, Caroline eyeing them suspiciously and he had no doubt that she would be telling Jeremy and Bonnie everything he was saying to the Detective.

"So Mr. Salvatore-"

"Please call me Damon." Damon flashed her his brightest grin that only lasted a second casting his ice blue eyes on her before giving Caroline a warning look and turning back to the detective who looked surprised.

"Right Damon. You told your local sheriff-" she flipped through the pages of her little notepad. "Sheriff Forbes, that you found Miss Gilbert at a restaurant called the Grill?"

"That's right, she was in the alley behind the restaurant." He corrected her a little bit and sat up straighter. Calling the Sheriff hadn't been his idea but it turns out that when you show up at the hospital with a girl in your arms that was half beaten to death, the doctors take that very seriously.

"Why didn't you call the police?"

"We drove here with Elena, she was severely hurt and hypothermic we thought it was important to get her to a doctor as quickly as possible. At the time calling an ambulance seemed like a waste of time." Damon, Bonnie and Jeremy had discussed this story before they even spoke to Sheriff Forbes so he didn't have to worry about theirs being the same as his.

"And how did you know she was at the Grill?"

"I got a call from her, at first I thought it was a phantom call but then she started screaming."

"I'm sorry a phantom call?" Damon nearly laughed but stopped himself. He was a century old vampire who apparently knew more about the modern day lingo than a police detective.

"When someone calls you by accident." He stated simply.

"Do you know when you got this phone call?"

"I think it was about quarter to five." He shrugged, "when I got to the Grill I checked my watch, it was just past five a.m."

"Mr. Salvatore, how do you know the victim?" She placed her notepad carefully down on her lap and looked into Damon's ice-blue eyes.

"She's my brother's girlfriend, we're friends." He shrugged again, he knew he sounded casual and slightly disinterested. But he didn't need her to get the wrong ideas about all of this, he wasn't past compelling her if he really had to, but he was tired and he'd rather not.

"You two close?"

"We're friends. If she wasn't dating my brother, we'd still be friends. What else do you want to know?" It was a lie of course, if she wasn't with his brother he would- well he wasn't sure precisely what he would do. There was no point in thinking about it anyway.

"So you care about her?"

"Yes." There was no point in lying about that, he did care, and he didn't care whether or not the detective was reading between the lines or not. His tired mind was elsewhere right now. The detective leaned forward, placing her elbows on her knees and searching his eyes for something she wasn't going to find. Damon never let anyone find anything.

"Do you know where your brother is Mr. Salvatore?" This had Damon at a standstill, he didn't know where his brother was, but instead of letting it get to him in the way she was hoping it would he scoffed at her.

"My brother is the least likely person to do this."

"Mr. Salvatore, in cases like these the person responsible is-"

"Almost always someone the victim knows. Yeah I watch Law and Order too." He was being a smart-ass and he slightly enjoyed how it was beginning to frazzle this woman just in the slightest way. "Honestly detective, my brother has been head over heels in love with this girl since the day he met her. He's her prince charming, and she's the maiden in a tower." This time it was the detective who scoffed at him. "Yeah, you think I'm kidding? I'm not even exaggerating. They're so cute it's stupid."

He leaned back then and enjoyed how a little smile played on the detective's face, she really was a pretty woman, it was a pity she'd become a detective, with perfect skin and bone structure like that she could have been a model. "Is there anything else you need detective?" She pulled out a card from inside her suit-jacket and gave it to him.

"If there's anything else you remember Mr. Salvatore, please call me."

"Oh I will." he smiled and tucked her card away without looking at it. The woman walked away quietly and went over to where Jeremy and Bonnie were sitting, taking out her notepad again and calling out their names. Caroline appeared before him, her long legs neatly put away in skin-tight jeans, black heals and a loose black t-shirt. She sat down next to him again and crossed her legs before turning her powder-blue eyes on him.

"When was the last time you fed?" Caroline asked and Damon turned his cold eyes on her in a frown. He wasn't exactly sure how she knew that he was hungry but she was looking at him expectantly. "Here, I brought you this. It should tie you over for now." She reached into her purse, pulled out a thermos and handed it to him. He nearly drank the whole thing dry without thinking twice about it. He didn't care who was watching him, there was no way anyone could know that he was drinking blood and not coffee and that amused him slightly when he was done. "Come on, the doctor's here." The doctor pulled Jenna, Jeremy and Ric aside but Caroline and Damon carefully kept their ears pricked for their words.

"Before we go on, I'm obliged to tell you that because of how she was found and her torn clothes we had to perform a rape-kit on your niece, but so far we haven't seen any signs of sexual assault, which is a good thing. She did very well in surgery, we were able to set the bones in her arm and hand and stop the internal bleeding. The wound on her head wasn't very severe but she does have a mild concussion so with the concussion, the broken ribs and arm, and the medication she's going to be very drowsy for the next few days." Jenna clung to Ric and Jeremy looked green again. "The good news is that she should make a full recovery and once she's doing a bit better and her temperature is down you can take her home."

"Her temperature is down? I thought she was hypothermic wouldn't her temperature be low?"

"When hypothermia patients are recovering they sometimes have a fever for a few days afterwards. It's the body's attempt at balancing things out. She should be alright in the next few days, but we want to keep her here to monitor her breathing and heart-rate." Damon was no longer listening he was leaning his face heavily into his hands.

He was considering all of this, all of her wounds and how much pain she would be in, even during her recovery, the worst part wasn't even over and she would be in so much pain. Damon felt like fighting someone but the problem was he didn't know who to fight. And he didn't know what to do next either. He hadn't smelled anyone else around Elena, and he didn't hear anyone over the phone, so he had no idea who to blame for this. There was Stefan, and the question of where he was, but that didn't make much sense, and blaming Stefan for his absence got him nowhere. With Stefan gone it fell to Damon to find out who had done this and to punish them, and the only hope he really had of finding out was to find out if Elena remembered anything.

He felt a hand on his shoulder suddenly and when he looked up Caroline was still sitting next to him, she had a determined look, her eyebrows squished into a silly frown on her little face.

"Whoever did this, is _so seriously _dead." She stated seriously and Damon nearly laughed, for the first time really happy that Blondie had turned out to be such a graceful little vampire. He leaned back into his chair and Caroline leaned her head onto his shoulder, both of them continued to listen to the doctor while he explained Elena's treatment to Jenna.

"Do you know what they're saying?"

"Elena's going to be alright. She can go home in a few days but she's going to have a bit of a hard time." Caroline translated for Bonnie, the only thing the two girls really needed to know was that their friend would be alright. They were a strange little click, _one witch, one vampire, and one doppleganger; only in Mystic Falls _Damon thought to himself.

"So why is it you couldn't give her your blood?" Bonnie asked again and Damon gave her his most pissed off look possible, even Caroline shot daggers on her friend.

"Judgy" Damon muttered frustrated.

"Drop it Bonnie, Elena's ok that's all that matters." Caroline shot her friend a warning look and Damon watched as Ric sauntered back over to the tiny little support group.

"Jenna and Jer are going to see how Elena's doing but she's still asleep, so you guys can see her later. You guys should go home, get some rest." He shrugged scratching the back of his head and Damon gave him an amused look, the teacher knew full-well that Damon wasn't going to go anywhere.

A few moments later Jenna and Jeremy came back into the waiting room, Jenna looking distraught and paler than ever and going from Jeremy's arm to Ric's before bursting into tears.

"This can't happen again, it's like the accident all over again. I'm supposed to keep her safe, this can't happen again. She looks so awful, and so hurt and I-" Damon could hear what she was muttering in between her sobs even though she and Ric had retreated across the room.

"Babe you need to get some sleep. Elena is going to recover, but she's going to need you when she wakes up. You know she'll kick your ass if you're a blubbering mess when that happens." He managed to make a little joke and Damon turned his head as I-love-you's were exchanged. Jeremy had come to stand with the little group. Bonnie stood up and placed her hand in Jeremy's after giving him a good hug. He looked like he could use a good drink instead of a hug, slightly dazed and sick.

Jenna and Alaric after having their little moment finally came over to the group and stood there awkwardly, Jenna still looked like she would burst into tears again. He didn't know how Alaric was so good at this whole crisis situation thing, all Damon could think of doing was bashing the responsible party's head for all of this or going to see Elena, somehow he still felt under the delusion that if he saw her his world would be set right. He would at least be able to think straight.

"Ok so the doctor said that she definitely wasn't going to wake up in the next couple of hours, so you guys can-"

"We heard what the doctor said." Caroline piped up and smiled. "And Mr. Saltzman's right by the way, you should go home and get some sleep Jenna. At least for a few hours, we can handle it here, we'll stay with Elena in shifts."

"Oh- Uhm- Well I still don't think you guys should stay here without adults present I mean-" Caroline was on the verge of laughter, and the notion was slightly ridiculous but Jenna was new to the whole supernatural family thing, she didn't quite realize the task-force these people had become in front of her. Caroline and Damon being vampires and all, and the little witch, and then there was Jeremy, who was technically immortal as long as he kept that ring on.

"I'll stay." Damon spoke and everyone turned their heads to look at him, he realized that he hadn't really said much since they'd come in. "I most definitely qualify as an adult Jenna, and I assure you that we will call you _the moment _there is any change." He stood up then giving her the most reassuring look he could muster though he hadn't expected her to just hug him out of nowhere. Her proximity was a bit of a problem, she smelled like tears, and blood, and that was a bad combination for a vampire, it was a token to how vulnerable she was at the moment.

"Thank you Damon. For everything I don't know what would've happened if-" She broke off and nearly began sobbing again but Damon flashed her one of his two-second grins before handing her back over to Alaric who knew much better how to handle his weeping woman.

* * *

Damon was walking over to Elena's room now, it was his turn to watch over Elena after Caroline and Jeremy had spent three hours in there. Bonnie was supposed to stay with him and Damon had no idea why Caroline had decided the teams this way. Bonnie was wringing her hands nervously and frowning, her little pink lips were pursed in a pout as she looked immensely frustrated.

"Damon, before we go in." He turned to look at her as they stood before the door of room 164.

"What can I do for you my little witch?" She rolled her eyes and looked at him more seriously, if that was at all possible.

"Do you know anything about who did this?"

"No, do you?" Damon frowned, unsure of where this was headed.

"No, no. It's just- well where the hell is Stefan? Have you talked to him?" Damon shrugged it off, he refused to think of his brother as the cause for all this, there was just no way.

"I have no idea where _Saint Stefan _is." He said slightly aggravated at the question. "But he didn't do this."

"How do you know that?"

"Because, even when he was hopped up on human blood and he was tripping out, or whatever it is that he does, he couldn't bring himself to hurt her."

"What if he was compelled?" Damon considered her for a moment, she was right the originals were dangerous because of their ability to compel other vampires, but he had no idea if there was another one in town. And he didn't know if there was any way to find out.

"It's possible, but we're going to have to wait and see what happens, either way if you can find Stefan, you go right ahead, I'd love to hear his explanation for not being here." He knew he sounded vindictive but he didn't care, and his anger couldn't have shielded him from what he saw when they went into the room.

Elena was in a very deep sleep, Damon could feel it from her. Her skin was still pale white, the only colour left in her face was the pink of her lips, which still had a bit of a purple tint to it. There were several blankets covering her up to her chin and Damon could see the IV wires running under the thick blankets and the wires for the monitors as well. They would need to make sure that her heartbeat and breathing was completely normal before they let her go home. He knew there was risk of permanent damage to hypothermia victims, but the hypothermia wasn't the worst part of it, though it did contribute to the effect of her other wounds.

She had a very large bruise under her left eye, and her bottom lip was cut and swollen a bit on the same side. They had at least cleaned all the blood off her, she now smelled like hospital clothing and bedding and disinfectant. Damon didn't mind it but he missed how she usually smelled like Jasmine. The bruises on her neck were the worst, perhaps because they were the darkest of purple, red, and blue that he'd ever seen, or that he knew what they meant. Whoever had done this hadn't only tried to hurt her, but tried to kill her.

"Oh my god." Bonnie whispered as she pushed past Damon to stand at Elena's bedside. Damon stood there stupidly in the doorway, eyes wide and feeling exhaustion hit him all over again. This wasn't right at all, he was supposed to feel better at seeing her, at being able to know that she was going to be alright, but she wasn't, she looked more fragile than ever and he hated this. He hated the hopelessness he felt right now, he needed her to be alright, he needed her to open her dark eyes and look at him suspiciously and tell him to stop being such a jerk, or an ass, or both.

Damon and Bonnie sat in Elena's room in utter silence for at least an hour before Bonnie began to fall asleep and Damon gave up his chair to her so she could put up her legs and be less uncomfortable. He stood at Elena's bedside now and studied her wounds, mostly just the bruises on her face and neck and considered how anyone, human or demon alike could do this to _her._ She was heart-wrenchingly beautiful, from her plump rosebud lips to her dark eyes and her long eyelashes. He remembered the first time he'd watched her sleep and how immensely different this situation was, then she had been perfectly peaceful. She had looked like a doll, at the time he had thought she was a perfect replica of Katherine. But now that he knew her, how could someone even dare to try and break her, and this would break her.

He considered the wounds, this wasn't just a vampire attack, or even a werewolf, or spirit, this looked to him, like a stupid cowardly human. The sight of her like this made Damon wish, at least in part that she wouldn't remember any of it. It would be easier for her if she didn't. He thought for a moment about forcing her to remember and then compelling her to forget just so he could punish whoever did this but the thought passed as soon as it came. He had promised her never to compel her; he'd given her his word, and Damon Salvatore never went back on his word.

Damon stood next to her bed for a good long while, he couldn't remember how long precisely because he never bothered to look down at his watch but he watched as the colour was slowly beginning to return to her cheeks. Though now she looked a little flushed, when Damon put his hand to her -unharmed- cheek he realized that she was running a bit of a fever. He was about to push the button for the nurse when Elena became a bit restless. She turned her head very violently all of a sudden and let out a whimper, making the saddest little noises Damon had ever heard. His heart sank lower if that was possible and he pushed the blanket to the side so he could take her hand in his.

"Elena it's Damon, you're alright. You're safe." He murmured softly, in the hope that he not distress her too much but she turned more violently and her whimpers were turning into loud mumbles that made Bonnie wake up. She was on the other side of the bed very fast and put her hand on Elena's forehead whispering something quietly to herself, making Elena's eyes flutter open, tears spilling out of those dark pools. She slumped back into her pillows and looked around her confused. She caught sight of Damon who was still holding onto her right hand, which wasn't wrapped in a cast. Bonnie still had her hand on her forehead and was soothingly brushing away the hair from Elena's flushed face.

"Bonnie. Damon." She breathed as if reassuring herself that she did in fact recognize them.

"Yeah sweetie it's us. We're here, you're ok."

"Where am I?" She tried to move to sit up and winced at the pain "Why does it-? I was at the Grill with Stefan and we- we-" She didn't remember, Damon nearly sighed in relief but he and Bonnie exchanged glances with each other on how they should explain this to her without upsetting her too much. "Can you help me sit up please?" She sounded like she was pleading with them and Bonnie pushed the button that put her bed in a sitting position while Damon being the stronger one, helped her as gently as he could to sit up against the pillows that Bonnie propped up behind her. When he was done the two of them also sat down on the bed, each on one side of her legs. Elena swallowed and looked at them, determined as she always was, Damon was almost relieved at that familiar look on her face. "What happened?"

The two of them exchanged glances again but Elena took hold of his hand and squeezed it. "Damon, please. What happened, why am I here?" She begged him now, her voice was hoarse and thick, from screaming and nearly being strangled to death and her breathing was a bit labored, as if it took her a lot to bring the words out.

"You were attacked outside the Grill, you were seriously hurt Elena."

"Stefan? Where's Stefan?" She croaked and Bonnie took this one.

"We don't know Elena, but Caroline and Jeremy are on it. And I'll try a tracking spell on him too."

She cried, this was exactly what Damon had been trying to avoid for the past twelve hours, weeping women, but Elena was heartbroken, she was just broken. The tears came steadily and heavily as she began sobbing and wincing because it was hurting her ribs to cry like this.

"I don't know what happened." She heaved each word in between sobs, and desperate gasps for breath, Damon worried about her breathing for a moment before; "I'm sorry Damon I don't remember. I'm sorry." Her crying became more desperate and panicked and Damon felt as if she'd just squeezed his heart too tight. He was supposed to protect her, not the other way around.

"Shh, you don't have anything to be sorry for Elena. We'll find Stefan. Don't cry angel, you're alright, you're safe." She moved then and nearly threw herself into Damon's chest, she winced against the pain again but ignored it as she used her good hand to grip his shirt. Damon ignored the tears and the sobs and the I'm-sorry's and just held her, murmuring the things he meant the most into her ear while Bonnie got up to call Jenna.

"Don't be sorry, I'm here. I'm not letting you go. I won't let anything happen to you. You're safe. Don't be sorry, just breathe. You'll be alright angel, I'm here."

He wasn't sure if even he believed that last one but, she would have to be. It wasn't fair that she had to go through this. She had lost her parents, who loved her and cared for her, he knew what that felt like, to lose a loving parent very suddenly, and she'd been hurt and dragged through the mud, only to be thrown down again, and get up again. She was a fighter, she had to be alright, she might have to fight harder this time but he would be right there to hold her if she needed him. Elena held onto him tightly with her good hand, and Damon held her wrapped in his arms as gingerly as he could, afraid of hurting her even more, but eventually while he still whispered solemn promises into her ear, and he cradled her until at some point her sobbing words and pleas began to fade away and she had become heavy and restful in Damon's arms again. Damon didn't dare move her for fear of waking her or hurting her, instead he revelled in the fact that she was peaceful in his arms, and that in the crook of her neck, she still smelled like Jasmine.

* * *

Ok so that's the end of Chapter 1, Chapter 2, 3, and 4 should follow shortly, I'm trying to keep this as short as possible, for myself and for you guys, I for ure don't want to make it longer than 6/7 chapters, but we'll see as we go along. :)

I will also post the list of songs that partially inspired me to write this, besides from the obvious Vampire Diaries music and TV-Show, there are indeed other things that played an influence :) Anyway I hope you guys enjoyed it, and please feel free to review this. I'm curious to see what you guys think.


	2. I need Some Sleep

Elena sat up in the bed, Bonnie had helped her to sit up, she wasn't as skilled as Damon but Bonnie made the pain go away without making her groggy so she didn't care so much anymore. Jenna was sitting in the chair at her bed looking worried and Jeremy looked like he might be sick at any moment. The detective standing in front of her was a pretty woman, she had her notepad out and she was flipping through the pages in between looking at Elena very carefully. A few hours ago they had taken pictures of her wounds, and bruises, and Jenna had told her that they had performed a rape-kit which didn't show any signs of sexual assault, Elena felt relieved. Relieved that it came out clean but also that she didn't remember any of that. She didn't want to know or remember what exactly a rape kit entailed. Sheriff Forbes was here too, looking apologetic as if she could have helped the situation, she looked tired, there were grey circles under her eyes and her short blond hair was a bit messy. She was wearing her regular uniform which as always hid the fact that Mrs. Forbes actually had a very nice figure.

"I'm really sorry detective Stabler I just don't- remember. I wish I did." She shrugged, her voice was still hoarse, from apparently being strangled and no doubt all the crying she'd done before she fell asleep. She felt tears tugging at her again, and found herself wishing for Damon in all this. She wished for Stefan too, but she didn't know where he was, or if he was even alright. What if he'd also been attacked? She held back a little sob and Jenna was next to her holding her hand very quickly.

"That's ok sweetie why don't you tell me about why you went to the Grill with your boyfriend first." The detective sat down on the edge of Elena's bed and gave her an encouraging smile.

"We- I was- upset, Stefan was trying to distract me. So we went to the Grill just to talk and play some pool."

"Why were you upset?" she prodded and Elena shot her dark eyes towards Jenna who turned to the detective.

"We had had a big argument the night before." Elena was under the impression that they had all discussed this before because Jenna looked at Jeremy who stood up straighter. She did remember Isobel showing up the night before that. "We got things sorted out but you know how it is when you're really mad at someone. When Stefan asked if he could take Elena out I thought it would be a good idea for us all to cool off."

"Stefan wanted to take her mind off things, he told me he had planned a whole night for them." Jeremy piped up, that was sort of true, Elena guessed. She only remembered Stefan wanting to take her out to dinner. Tears were welling up in her eyes again and this time she had a harder time fighting them back. Jeremy was at her side instead and he sat down on the bed, right next to her and pulled her to his shoulder where she sniffled for a few moments before turning back to the detective.

"We were there until pretty late, I guess we ended up talking about a lot of things. I remember the Grill was closing when we were leaving."

"You don't have a curfew?"

"As long as the two of them tell me where they are and who they're with, and it's not a school night I don't have a curfew in place." Jenna eyed her niece and nephew carefully, that was true for the most part, but now Elena felt guilty since she now probably knew that Elena had lied to her quite a lot. Really it was to protect her, but Elena knew that it hadn't been right.

"We never go anywhere without telling Aunt Jenna where and when. It's never been a problem before." Jeremy said quietly, Elena knew that he was thinking the same thing she was, that the lying would have to stop. Even the little white lies that had been for her own sanity. "Even Stefan knows the drill." He added, that was true, Stefan had asked Aunt Jenna's permission for dates a few times, and it wasn't only because he was a nineteenth century gentleman but also because he knew Aunt Jenna.

"I don't remember much after that- I think we went to the car, but then-" Elena shook her head and buried her head in her brother's shoulder again, she was too tired now to fight the tears. She felt exhausted and a little bit scared, this not remembering thing wasn't for the best. She wanted to know what happened and who had hurt her.

"How about for now, we just focus on what you do remember." The detective put a reassuring hand on Elena's ankle and smiled at her. "Who's car did you take?"

"Stefan's"

"He drives a dark blue 1969 Dodge Charger." Jeremy said and the detective raised her eyebrows.

"That's a fancy car." she turned to sheriff Forbes. "Sheriff has the car been accounted for?"

"No, Damon checked their garage, the car wasn't returned and he still hasn't heard from Stefan."

"Hmm." The detective said quietly to herself and wrote down the make and model of Stefan's car.

"Do you think this could have been a carjacking?" Aunt Jenna asked, noting how the detective suddenly looked hopeful.

"It doesn't explain Mr. Salvatore's disappearance but it's worth looking into. Right now his car is our best lead." She stood up and Aunt Jenna got up with her, there was a knock at the door and after making sure that Elena wasn't sobbing again Jeremy got up to open it. Damon came through the door, his tall frame becoming slightly imposing in the room, he looked at Elena and gave her a reassuring smile. One she didn't return, she hadn't felt at all like smiling since she'd woken up again, she felt like crying all the time, but now she felt tired. Jenna walked straight over and hugged Damon, he looked surprised at that but smiled at her nonetheless before he walked over to Elena and dropped the soft bag he'd been carrying onto her legs.

She recognized her old cheerleading bag but she just stared at it for a moment before looking at Damon who smiled sweetly and opened the bag for her while the detective and sheriff Forbes and Aunt Jenna left the room. "The girls got some of your things together. They thought you might want some of your stuff from home." Elena gingerly stuck her right hand into the bag since that was the hand that wasn't hurt and tugged through some things, her pajamas were here, and her toothbrush, and brush, they had even put her shampoo and conditioner in.

"Oh, shampoo." She knew she sounded like she hadn't seen a bottle of shampoo in years, and in all honesty that was what she felt like. Damon pulled out a soft grey blanket that she didn't recognize, but he stood up and draped it over her legs before sitting back down on the bed.

"Oh and I brought you this." He turned around and pulled from what seemed like nowhere, the teddybear that she kept on her bed. "I think he likes me." he joked and Elena suppressed an eye roll taking the bear from his hands and placing him on the night stand on her right.

When the nurse came in Damon removed the bag from her legs and set it down on one of the chairs before moving away a bit so the nurse could check her IV and her monitors. "Oh hello again Mr. Salvatore." The nurse smiled at him, she looked really young and flush, she had pale freckled skin and very red curly hair that she had pulled in a loose ponytail for the moment. Even in scrubs she looked really pretty Elena thought jealously for a moment as the nurse turned her green eyes on Damon who smiled at the girl but then winked at Elena.

"You've got yourself quite a charmer there sweetie."

"Oh well, he certainly thinks so." The nurse giggled as they both turned to look at Damon who was giving them both the most innocent look he could manage. Innocent, was never really innocent on Damon's face, he had that glint in his blue eyes that always gave him away.

"I'm sure I don't know what you're talking about. Don't listen to her Christie, she gets a little cranky when she's hungry." Elena felt like throwing something at his head, but she couldn't move much without being in pain so she tried her hand at a witty response instead.

"Well I must always seem hungry around _you _then." The nurse giggled and Elena almost laughed but it caught in her chest and sent a stabbing pain around her ribs. She sucked in a breath sharply and then felt herself gasping for air, it was the scariest thing to happen, feeling like she couldn't breathe. Damon was right next to her then, he placed his hand gently over her ribs and leaned over her.

"Breathe into my hand Elena." She took a breath carefully and steadily and Damon gently kept her ribs in place so she could catch her breath again. She fought back tears again and placed her right hand over his, taking another breath to stop herself from crying. She was in a lot of pain now, her ribs were aching and her head felt too warm, and there was this throbbing pain in her left arm.

"Damon it hurts." She whimpered quietly squeezing his hand tighter as he put one hand on her right cheek.

"I know angel, I'm sorry." He sat up straight then and looked for the nurse while Elena closed her eyes and focused on Damon's hand, squeezing it tight whenever she felt a stab in her arm or her head. "Can you give her something for the pain?"

"Sure we can, I'm surprised she hadn't asked sooner actually. I'll be right back." Elena heard the nurse muttering to herself as she left the room, Damon looked at her carefully then, his brow was furrowed in a serious frown. "Elena, have you not been taking anything for the pain?"

"Not much, Bonnie did a spell before that took away the pain but doesn't make me groggy."

"Oh well that also only works for short amounts of time." He stated simply and watched her as she flinched against a burst of pain in her arm again. She had never been in this much pain before, even with the accident, it had only been her leg really but now it was most of her upper body, scratch that, all of her upper body. Damon felt her flinch, felt her discomfort and all he could really do was hold her hand. "Try to think of something else Elena." Elena opened her eyes then, she felt so happy that Damon was here, his blue eyes were filled with concern and gentleness, and what she knew to be love as well.

"Has Bonnie tried finding Stefan?"

"Yeah, the spell did nothing." Damon looked hesitant to answer her question and Elena felt tears welling up in her eyes.

"Does that mean that he's-" Fear struck her above all the pain and she blinked back tears, but one rebellious tear found it's way down her cheek anyway and Damon brushed it away with his thumb as smoothly as he could.

"No, no. Elena listen to me. If he were dead the tracking spell would still show us where his body is. It means that he's being hidden by another witch."

"Another witch? So he's alive, but he's in trouble."

"We think so. We're still trying to work things out, we'll come up with a plan." He tried to look reassuring but Elena could see the doubt forming in his eyes, she forced herself to ignore it and focus on his words instead, the nurse came back though and he leaned back a bit. "Listen Elena, you don't worry about it. We'll sort it out. You just need to stay here and get better." she nodded as the drugs began to kick in almost instantly and sent numbing shivers down her spine, she felt her body relax and the grip on Damon's hand relaxed as well.

"I just need some sleep." She muttered absentmindedly, becoming groggy and tired as the drugs took away her pain and the nurse stayed for a moment to check her pulse and her temperature.

"You've really got yourself a good guy sweetie. Hang onto that one." She smiled at Elena as she scribbled something onto Elena's chart.

"Well, he's not _mine _exactly_. _But he is the good guy isn't he?" Elena turned her head, thinking that maybe she hadn't meant to say that out loud, but she didn't really care anyway. She felt warm and fuzzy and safe holding Damon's hand as she turned her head one more time and fell asleep.

* * *

Elena woke up the next day feeling absolutely gross, her hair was greasy and tangled and her skin was oily and although she'd been receiving sponge baths, she felt really dirty. When Christie came in to check on her that day she looked at her with eyes that were brighter since Bonnie had performed her miraculous spell on her a few minutes ago.

"Christie would I be able to take a shower or a bath or something?"

"Oh sure sweetie, did you want to take one now?" Christie was in the habit of calling everyone sweetie, except for Damon, he was Mr. Salvatore.

"If that's ok?" Elena asked again, her voice wasn't so raspy anymore but her throat still hurt when she swallowed, she hadn't been able to eat much that day even though she was feeling better and Bonnie was sticking around all day to redo the spell whenever she needed it. And Caroline was there too, for entertainment and comic relief and occasionally to talk about boys and tease Bonnie about her relationship with Jeremy.

"Of course it is." Christie put down the chart and pushed the button that made Elena's bed sit up even straighter, she hooked the IV onto the little rack with wheels and then looked at Elena with very bright green eyes. "Ok, so what I want you to do is lean on me and slowly swing your legs over alright?" Elena nodded and put her right hand on Christie's shoulder, wondering for a second if Christie would be able to support her weight if she actually fell.

Bonnie and Caroline were watching them both anxiously, Caroline could have technically carried Elena over to the bathroom but they didn't want to upset the nurse, and having to compel her would be a pain too.

Elena moved slowly, but she hadn't anticipated how difficult walking really was, she vaguely remembered how she had been like this after the accident with her parents but she took a breath and forced herself to forget that time. This time was different, Stefan was alive, she hoped, and she was going to be ok, so no one had really gotten severely hurt. Because, well, she was still alive wasn't she?

"You're way stronger than you look Christie." Elena said cheerfully as they got to the bathroom and Elena sat down on the closed toilet while Christie giggled and took all her necessary things out of the cheerleading bag.

"Ok so I'm going to turn on the water and then you let me know when I can come back in."

"What do you mean?"

"Oh sweetie you're going to have a hard time washing yourself with that cast. You're going to need some help." Elena knew she was flushing red, she hadn't been bathed by anyone since she was about five or six. If she remembered correctly.

"We can help her out." Caroline piped up from the doorway, Elena hadn't even realized that she and Bonnie had been standing there but now she was glad to see them there. Bonnie looked at Caroline incredulously but then turned to look at a very embarrassed Elena.

"Oh yeah, I mean it's not like you've got anything we haven't seen before Elena." She smiled at the nurse convincingly, Caroline was giving the nurse a you-better-let-us look and Elena was positive that Caroline would have compelled her if nurse Christie hadn't been such a sweetheart.

"Oh ok, well I'll be right outside if you guys need a hand, just keep the cast dry, and watch her ribs. There's a seat in the shower, so you don't have to hold her up or anything." She smiled brightly and then left the bathroom for the three girls.

The bathroom was small so Bonnie helped Elena get out of the hospital clothes and Caroline held her up until she had to get into the shower and she could sit down. Elena revelled in the warm water as she let her friends scrub her back and wash her hair. She obediently kept her left hand out of the shower entirely and everything else she could reach herself with her right hand. The girls were lost in a sea of giggles, jokes, and hot water and for the first time since she'd woken up in Damon's arms she had forgotten all about what happened or how she'd gotten here. She felt like she was three again and having bath time with her best friends. They didn't stop once the shower was over, Caroline draped the towel around Elena and helped her out of the shower where they continued in their usual ritual. Doing each other's nails, although Elena was seriously lacking in the helping department. But she picked out ridiculous colours for Caroline while Bonnie dried and straightened Elena's hair.

Both Elena and Bonnie were flushed hot by the end of it, though sporting new nail colours of purple and blue, and Caroline looked her usual perfect self, complete with turquoise nail polish. Elena stood up and held onto the sink to look at herself in the mirror for the first time and gasped in shock. She held a hand up to her face and touched the bruise beneath her eye that she'd felt before but never really seen. The bruises on her skin wouldn't have looked so awful if it hadn't been that her skin looked really pale, the ones on her neck were particularly bad. She moved her hand down and touched her fingers to the hand prints on her neck and stifled a little sob, the tears came anyway though, but she couldn't cry so severely, her ribs wouldn't handle it and that made everything worse. She was hurt so badly that she couldn't even cry without being hurt.

"Oh Elena!" Caroline reached out and caught her before she actually fell to her knees and gently let her down to sit on the bathroom floor. Bonnie was right behind Elena rubbing her hand gently on Elena's back and stroking her hair. The two girls knew very well how to handle their friend, there were so many things they didn't even have to tell her and she knew that she was loved and safe with them. "Hey, take it easy. You're going to be ok. We promise." Caroline shushed her from her little pathetic sobs, since she couldn't even cry properly and Bonnie let Elena lean into her since she was more comfortable that way. Caroline grabbed some toilet paper and wiped away Elena's tears when the door opened up and a wave of cool air hit them all.

"Are you girls alright?"

Whatever colour was left in Elena's face drained away, the cold air, she remembered the cold air and she felt herself draw in a sharp breath again as the pain hit her of what had happened. If Bonnie hadn't been there she would have had another attack like the one when Damon had been there. But Bonnie just placed her hand over Elena's and muttered her spell.

"We're ok, I'm ok." Elena managed a little smile at Christie. "Could you give us another second."

"sure sweetie."

"I remember what happened, but I only remember bits I mean." Caroline gave her a meaningful look.

"Ok just tell us what you do remember. Maybe Bonnie can work some witchy mojo from there."

"I- Stefan and I were walking to his car and he was going to drive me home. He said that he needed to do something. It's a little blurry, but we were making out in front of his car- and- I don't remember how- but I ended up in the alley and there was a man-"

"You don't remember his face?" Bonnie asked quietly and Elena shook her head.

"He- he tried to touch me-" Elena breathed, remembering the man tearing at her clothes and examining her body and his rough hands over her skin. Elena's breath hitched but she frowned and closed her eyes to keep going, she _had _to remember. They needed to find Stefan. "I- I screamed and I think I remember trying to grab my phone."

"Yeah you called Damon."

"He threw it away." She was crying again but she was clinging onto Caroline's hand and as long as Bonnie was here it didn't hurt so much. "He was mad at me for screaming- he was so mad- and he shook me and told me to stop-" She thought hard on what happened next but it was fuzzy. "My head." She reached up and touched the back of her head where there were stitches in her head. "I think he hit me after because I wouldn't stop screaming." She couldn't really remember being hit, she remembered being shaken and she remembered how cold it was. And she remembered Damon, Damon had found her.

"Damon found me?"

"Yeah he did, he ran you to the hospital too." Bonnie answered softly stroking Elena's hair as she leaned back into her friend's warm frame. The tears slowly stopped running down her cheeks as Elena relaxed and she thought it had something to do with Bonnie's humming. "We should get you back into bed Elena." She said and Caroline gently lifted her back up onto her feet and let her lean heavily onto Caroline. When they came out of the bathroom Christie set down Elena's chart and smiled at the three of them but Elena couldn't manage another smile she just said thank you as she laid back down on the bed and Christie put the bed back into a more comfortable position for her to sleep.

"You alright sweetie? Do you need anything more for the pain?"

"Mm? No, I think I just need some sleep." Elena turned her face towards Christie thanking her one more time before turning her head away again and letting sleep swallow her quietly.

* * *

Ok so this is a little too teenage angst for me but I really wanted to bring across Elena's process in remembering things, I don't know any trauma victims but from what I have read and heard is that at first they remember either every single little detail, or absolutely NOTHING.

Anyway I wanted her memory to come back in a somewhat realistic way, this is called 'flooding' it's when a patient is surrounded by the thing that triggers their memory, or their fears. They often use this for people who have excessive fears, like fear of cars, or something. (yes that's a thing)

Also this Chapter is a little bit of a filler, I'm trying very hard to stay true to the characters, but it's difficult when the characters from the book and the show are actually quite different.

Anyway hope you enjoyed it, Chapter 3 soon to follow :)


	3. My Side Of The Story

"Damon!" Caroline's voice rang from downstairs somewhere as he heard a car pull up. If Bonnie was here already she was early. Caroline was standing in the kitchen dressed in high waisted jeans and a white blouse, Damon chuckled at the sight of her, with the way she usually did her hair and make-up she looked like a Farrah Fawcett impersonator.

"What is it?" He asked just as Bonnie came in and frowned at him.

"Good morning to you too." She grumbled.

"Are you ready to go? Jeremy said Elena was home and she's feeling good, so if we want to see her we should go now before she gets too tired." Damon picked up his new leather jacket, the old one had been confiscated into evidence along with Elena's clothes and the fleece blanket Bonnie had provided that night. Damon frowned and discarded the memory as he moved outside to leave with Bonnie and Caroline, he only had room for one of them in his car and he didn't really feel like hanging out with Judgy the entire way there.

"Leaving already?" Katherine's voice drawled as she made her way up to the doorway, she had just gotten back from God only knows where. Damon only turned for a moment and gave her one of his two-second grins. "So I guess you don't want to know about Stefan being back in town?" All three of them turned to look at her, Damon made his way up to her very fast, cornering her into the little alcove by their front door and raising his eyebrows at her.

"What game are you playing now Katherine?"

"Oh my, we are touchy today aren't we?" She smiled at him that coy, seductive smile. "I didn't _do _anything to him. But I saw him."

"Where Katherine? Where did you see him?" Damon was growing angry at her, he hated her for everything she'd done to him but he hated that she could still get to him after almost two hundred years. He did his best to sound his usual sarcastic drawling self, but it was hard when she provoked him so easily.

"Relax Damon, I saw him hanging around the school, but I don't know where he went, he took off when he saw me and it's too cold to get a scent." Damon moved away from her and scoffed, moving back to his car.

"Get in." Damon demanded of Caroline and nodded to Bonnie to get in her own car and leave. Damon didn't care what Katherine said, the odds of her even telling the truth were slim to none, this was just another one of her mind-games and Damon was sick and tired of them.

"Remind me again why we didn't kill her?" Damon asked Caroline as he was driving much too fast down the road to Elena's house.

"She's useful, sometimes, when she's not a total bitch." Caroline chirped from the passenger seat, investigating her nails carefully before turning her green eyes to look at him. She smiled cheerfully. "Whatever, she's probably lying anyway. So let's just focus on the fact that Elena's coming home today, and we'll get back to looking for Stefan tomorrow." She shrugged and leaned back into the seat propping her feet up on the dashboard. Damon reached over and slapped her knee.

"Feet off my dashboard." He grumbled and Caroline rolled her eyes.

"Ugh, men and their cars." She groaned and sat up straight again before she giggled, forcing him to laugh.

* * *

Damon didn't even have to knock on the front door, Jeremy had opened the door the moment he'd heard them coming up the steps to their house. He shook Damon's hand a bit violently but Damon smiled and walked in, only to be ambushed by one of Jenna's hugs which had somehow become mandatory over the past two weeks. Damon couldn't quite get used to them but he gave her one of his grins and flashed his eyes at her brightly.

"Damon I wanted to thank you again for everything. And don't get me wrong I appreciate that you're here, but Elena's been asking more and more about Stefan-"

"Yeah, we're working on it." He frowned looking in the direction of the stairs that led up to Elena's room.

"And when you say 'we' you mean-" She looked at him skeptically, she was still getting used to the Gilbert family secrets.

"Blondie and Sabrina, Jeremy, the teacher, and little ol' me."

"First of all, I hope you don't come up with a nickname like that for me, because they're not exactly original and secondly I don't know how I feel about Jeremy being involved in all of this." Jenna frowned at him, with that honest face, Jenna's expressions could be read like a book.

"Relax bookworm, Jeremy's fine. He can't die, as long as he's wearing the Gilbert ring." Damon stated to her as if it were the most obvious thing in the world and flashed that smile at her again, moving past her and leaving her slightly stunned, apparently there were still some things that Jenna hadn't been briefed on. He moved up the stairs towards Elena's bedroom and knocked on the door before disturbing the giggling girl party that was going on.

"Please don't let me interrupt the all girl pillow fights." He joked as he entered the room and got two pillows tossed at his head before he walked over to Elena's bed and plopped himself down next to her. She was looking much better and healthier, she actually smiled at him, something she hadn't done in a while, since she'd been reading Jonathan Gilbert's journal. The parts about Stefan in particular, she went over and over them as if they would tell her something about where he might be. The bruise beneath her left eye was almost completely gone, the ones in her neck though had dissipated a bit, but Damon knew from experience that the neck was so sensitive, the bruises were still there, the colour had simply changed from black and purple to a dark pink. She still looked a little pale though and she was thinner than he was used to seeing.

"So what's on the itinerary today?" Elena looked over to Caroline curiously, leaning back carefully into her pillows and crossing her legs, Indian style.

"Actually Bonnie and I have to go to school." She shrugged looking at her watch but smiled as she looked back up. "Damon's on duty today." Damon grinned at her and she gave him a little pout as she turned back to her friends.

"You guys aren't in trouble at school are you?"

"Uhm. Not really," Caroline declared sheepishly suddenly sitting up very straight, her slightly curled hair bobbing as she moved.

"Caroline. Bonnie?"

"Hey don't look at me, my attendance is fine." Bonnie declared as she stood up and took Caroline by the arm. "Caroline here got a warning, that's all."

"Oh please, I'm going to be seventeen forever. I could just pull a Cullen, re-do my senior year over and over, collect graduation caps."

"Is that a Twilight reference?" Damon complained. "Caroline what have I told you about that?" She rolled her eyes as she and Bonnie both hugged Elena carefully and left the room to Elena and Damon.

Elena sunk back into the pillows a little bit and sighed before looking up at Damon from the corner of her eye.

"So what are we doing today?"

"Well that's-"

"Elena?" Jenna came into the bedroom without knocking, she was running late for something, Damon saw Elena nearly laugh at the sight of her aunt so freaked out. "Don't laugh at me, I know, I'm late _again. _I completely forgot- never mind. Are you going to be alright here? I mean-" She glanced over at Damon who felt slightly offended, now really, he had protected Elena since he had fallen in love with her. And that had been a while ago now.

"I'll be fine aunt Jenna, Damon's here." Elena gave her aunt a reassuring smile and ignored the smile that was playing on Damon's lips. Damon got up for a moment to see Jenna out as she hurried to get all her things together.

"Damon." Jenna gave him a harsh look. "Look, I've decided that I actually like you and I appreciate everything you've done over the past few weeks. But if anything-"

"Jenna, I'm familiar with being on Elena duty. And in my defense; nothing bad has ever happened to her on my watch." He gave her a serious look. He meant it too; he would never let anything happen, not while he was still alive. "Jenna I swear, I would never let anything happen to her."

"And I believe you. I just needed to hear it." She nodded and got into her car, Damon closed her door gently for her and then went back inside.

Elena was at the top of the stairs, she looked paler than before, she was holding onto the railing with her good hand, but she looked unsteady. Damon was at her side and had picked her up before she had a chance to object and she did want to object very clearly. Damon could tell now as he held her that she had lost weight from being in the hospital, part of it might be the medication but it was probably also the stress she was putting herself under at trying to remember what had happened.

"Damon put me down."

"You need to get some rest." He answered just as determined as she was.

"I've had enough rest, Damon I'm bored. I need to _do _something." He stood in the hallway in front of her bedroom door for a moment looking into her face and considering what she'd just said before he turned back around and headed towards the stairs. "Damon what are you doing?"

"You said you wanted to _do _something, so we're going to do something." He smirked knowingly, she didn't like it when he surprised her with anything; like a road-trip to Georgia. He sat her down gently on the couch and checked his watch while he moved over to the TV and picked up the plastic bag with rented DVDs. He had given Jeremy a very specific list of what he was to get, but he was slightly peeved to find A Nightmare on Elm St. and The Grudge tucked among his selection.

"Damon what are we doing?"

"We are going to have a good old fashioned movie-marathon." He smiled putting the first movie into the DVD, player. No serious, or scary movies today, he had a few Albert Hitchcock movies that he loved and were among his top twenty but they didn't seem very appropriate for someone who was recovering from a serious trauma. Instead he had narrowed it down to his favourite movies from the 40's. Damon made sure that Elena had a blanket wrapped around her legs and that she was comfortable before he sat down next to her, stretching his long legs for a moment before folding one leg lazily over the other. They were halfway through 'Strange Cargo' when Elena snuggled in to lean against him and he instinctively moved to put his arm around her. And she let him. She frowned at the strange demonic character but somehow found it stupid that Verne decided to go back and finish his sentence instead of eloping with his love.

Damon only chuckled and pointed out that the movie was as much about spiritual redemption as it was about true love.

"Sure but if you had the choice of being trapped in a cage, or living the rest of your life on a beach in like, Bora Bora with the woman you loved, I mean honestly Damon, what man in his right mind would choose prison?" Damon chuckled at that and popped in the next movie; 'You Were Never Lovelier' this one seemed to appeal to Elena much more and she giggled at Astaire's antics and marveled at the dances and the music. About halfway through Meet Me in St. Louis, Elena fell asleep against his chest and Damon checked his watch. Noting that it was just about noon, he thought he should get something for her to eat while she slept. He left the movie on so as not to disturb her too much but he did move her so that he could get up and go into the kitchen.

He began cutting up onions, garlic and mushrooms, feeling impressed that Jenna at least kept a well stocked kitchen, even if she claimed that almost everything she made was out of a box. When Damon was waiting for the mushrooms to release their water he heard Elena whimper and a thump. When he got to her she was looking dazed and teary eyed and scared, the thump had belonged to the remote when it slipped from the couch onto the floor. Elena was sitting up and when Damon knelt down to look at her she drew in a breath and looked at him carefully.

"It wasn't a dream was it?" She looked at him and when Damon frowned at her she burst out crying, he understood then that this was all becoming way too overwhelming for her. She was in less pain but when she woke up in the hospital there was the certainty of what had really happened. Here she had woken up alone and afraid but at home and for a split moment she had thought that she had dreamt it all.

"Oh Elena I'm sorry." He spoke gently but she leaned towards him and out of the couch and wrapped her arms around him. She held onto him tightly despite the cast and he cradled her against his chest and tried to comfort her.

"Please don't leave me again." It came out in broken sobs and Damon felt his heart clench tight again.

"I'm here angel, I'm not going anywhere. I won't leave you, I swear it." He couldn't remember when he'd begun calling her that, but it had happened and it fitted her more than any other word he could think of. Sure she was stubborn, nosy and way too persistent sometimes but it balanced out her sweetness and her selflessness. And she was gracious, and that's what angels represented, grace.

* * *

"Damon are you trying to fatten me up or something?" Elena wasn't too pleased at being forced another helping of pasta, even though Damon's cooking was next to heaven.

"Yes, I plan on having you for dinner later, this evening." he joked and added some more pasta to her plate as he took some for himself. He was trying very hard to disguise the fact that he didn't appreciate her sudden weight loss but clearly he wasn't very good at it.

"Did I lose that much weight?" She asked when he eyed her tucking into her second portion of pasta. She could tell he was secretly blessing his Italian ancestors for their carb-filled meals. She took his silence as an answer and sighed, taking a very large bite of garlic bread. "The hospital food was awful, and I slept most of the time at the hospital. I guess I didn't realize how little I was eating."

"Well you don't seem to have lost your appetite." Damon smiled at her, the warm and genuine smile that she loved seeing on him. "I noticed you were reading the Gilbert journals again. Anything interesting?"

"Nothing I haven't read before." Elena shrugged and watched him add some Parmesan to his pasta. It always surprised her when Damon ate normal food, she didn't see him do it very often, unless he was in a social gathering with humans, but while he was eating now, he seemed to be thoroughly enjoying it.

"You're reading about Stefan." He stated knowingly and her eyes shot up to his bright blue ones, they were searching her for some kind of answer but instead she just stared down at her plate for a moment before looking back up at him.

"He attacked Jonathan Gilbert." She said quietly and he nodded looking at her, waiting for her to continue. "He describes Stefan as a monster." She shook her head in disbelief, she couldn't imagine Stefan as the creature that Jonathan had described, even when he had been back to drinking human blood he had been fighting it like an addiction.

"We were back then Elena. I don't want to scare you, but Jonathan, as misguided as he was about some things, knew that first and foremost we were supernatural creatures." He was starting to sound like Stefan Elena thought for a moment.

"But where were you? He doesn't say anything about you in the journal, but Stefan said-" Damon shook his head and frowned, his blue eyes beginning to look sad.

"I wasn't there." She looked at him carefully and then thought about the things Stefan had said like '_We _were watching them. _We _were angry for revenge.' She couldn't comprehend why he would lie to her about that. And then there was such sadness and regret in Damon's eyes when he said that he wasn't there, like he should have been. This was too strange, she knew their relationship had been different back then but they almost seemed to have reversed roles since then.

"Damon what happened? Stefan told me Lexi found him then."

"We were different back then." Damon shook his head and leaned back in his seat, having finished with his plate. He looked hurt but Elena felt a sudden need to know what had really happened, she knew that Stefan had been the one to drive Damon into fulfilling the transition but clearly Stefan hadn't told her everything.

"Damon please." She felt the need to reach out and touch him, comfort him but she stopped herself and waited for him to look at her. He held out a hand for her and took her back over to the couch where he sat next to her in the couch but kept a decent amount of space in between them so he could talk to her about this. Elena knew this wasn't easy for him, it never was easy with Damon, most people thought it took a lot to get through to him but Elena knew it to be different. It took a long time for Damon to trust someone, to feel safe enough to peel back the layers he had brought up around him for protection.

"When Stefan and I changed, it was so different. We were completely different people then. Stefan was hurt, but he had no idea what the world was like. He'd been loved and cared for by our father his entire life. He was the precious one, the good one. The one who never doubted our father. He never saw the manipulation and intrigue that went on behind our father's closed doors, and I never bothered to tell him. I mean my relationship with my father was ruined but Stefan, he was the golden boy, even in my eyes. It wasn't my place to tell him the truth and break his heart about our father.

"When we thought Katherine was dead, everything that Stefan thought he knew had come crumbling down in front of him, and he blamed the council for _everything. _And I didn't see it soon enough. And I blamed _him _for everything, I was so angry at him for what he'd done, for his betrayal, I couldn't stand to be around him so I would leave for nights at a time. And when I came back we'd argue, he'd be doing stupid things, compelling girls into the house and killing them, leaving their bodies lying around the house, and I would get so angry and so sick of him that I would leave again.

"It went on like that for a couple of weeks, one day when I came home though he had girls in the room again, and he was making them dance and play music for him while he fed off them. He had no idea the repercussions of what he was doing, he was acting like a spoiled brat with vampire powers." Elena tried very hard to ignore the sound of scorn in Damon's voice but it was hard when Stefan's description of things had been very similar, this was just Damon's point of view. "I told him he was being stupid, and he laughed at me. He laughed right in my face and told me that I didn't have to worry about the founding families because he'd killed them all."

Elena had never been so surprised to see Damon so remorseful. He looked upset, truly, sincerely upset, the way he'd been at the tomb when he'd discovered that Katherine wasn't there.

"Damon I-" She wasn't sure what to say but he turned his eyes away from her staring at his hands.

"You have to understand Elena, those people- they- We grew up with them, I knew their sons and daughters, they were like family to us. Like you and Caroline and Bonnie, if something happens to them you feel devastated, like the loss was your own. And Stefan he- he just, broke it. As if it were nothing to begin with." Elena nearly cried again, not allowing herself to imagine what it would be like if Caroline or Bonnie were ever hurt. "And I hated him for it, that's why I left him with Lexi-"

"Wait you met Lexi back then?"

"She presented herself to me when I left. I told her that if it was at all possible, she had to help Stefan. Because- because I couldn't. Because I was never a good brother to him. I'm still-" He broke off and buried his head in his hands and Elena reached out to touch him then she didn't care if he got angry about her pushing him to do something. She had heard his side to all this, and it was immensely different from Stefan's. Damon stared at their entwined hands for a second before looking at Elena and she could almost see the walls being pulled back up around him as he shrugged and gave her that indifferent look again.

"Anyway it doesn't matter now does it? That was a long time ago."

* * *

Damon and Elena sat curled up on the couch watching the rest of the movies, in silence. Elena snuggled into Damon's warm frame and tried not to think of what Damon had gone through as they watched the last half of Meet Me In St Louis, and then It's a Wonderful Life, and finally the Barkleys of Broadway. She realized at being so close to him that Damon smelled like amber and sandalwood, he smelled warm and safe and as she closed her eyes she had never felt so grateful to have him protecting her.

* * *

Elena couldn't remember how she'd gotten here, she was in the Grill's parking lot with Stefan, holding his hand as he gently guided her out of the restaurant, the closing waiter and bartender giving them a bit of an ungrateful look as they had probably hoped to close up early, but no chance on a Saturday night. They weren't the only ones to be leaving last, but they were among the little crowd of people that had clearly overstayed their welcome. Elena just giggled as she was pulled through the door and then Stefan stopped in front of her almost causing her to run into him before he turned around. He looked a little confused, and very annoyed, she stopped giggling and straightened up a bit, frowning as she looked into his green eyes.

"Stefan what's wrong? Do you feel ok?"

"Yeah I'm fine, I just realized I have something important to do." He looked at her more seriously, looking less annoyed but determined. Elena wasn't sure what to think of this sudden change in him but she just shrugged, she was happy he was here at least. That he was with her and she had a boyfriend thoughtful enough to take her out when she was feeling upset and confused. "I should get you home, it's really late." He smiled looking and then looked at his watch as he pulled her gently by the hand again, towards his car.

"Oh okay." She shrugged even though she was a bit disappointed, she thought the plan had been to go back to the boarding house but he looked really distracted, and the last thing she wanted was for Stefan to be thinking about other stuff while she was trying get in his pants. It wasn't so much the sex as it was the intimacy she craved with him, they had just spent a long weekend up at her parents' cabin but they had spent a good part of it fighting and running from werewolves and dealing with originals. Just like every other weekend basically, she still hadn't gotten much quality time with Stefan and she hated leaving things on a bad note, though she really thought they had moved past it. "Stefan are you sure you're alright?" She wasn't one to be the needy girlfriend but he was acting strange.

She hadn't expected him to turn her around and kiss her like that though, he was rougher and more aggressive in his kiss. Pushing her steadily against his car door and cornering her there by putting his arms on each side of her. The kiss was hot and deep and it was making her flush from her neck all the way up to her scalp and she gasped for breath when he finally pulled away from her. This was so unfair she thought to herself, he was getting her all worked up and she knew that afterwards he would be the perfect gentleman and drop her off at home with a sweet kiss and a goodnight.

"Oh that's so not fair." She whispered and he chuckled. Lowering his lips to her ear and neck and collarbone. Elena suddenly felt very exposed, they were in a parking lot, a very abandoned parking lot. Anyone could see them, she was sure of it. "Stefan, we should get out of here." She said, her voice thick with lust for him, she was beginning to tingle all up her spine and in every place that he was touching her and leaving kisses.

"Why?" He grumbled, sounding seriously aggravated.

"Because anyone can see us."

"When has that ever bothered _you _Katherine?" He asked and Elena thought for a second she'd dreamt it, but then the anger and the hurt came flooding to her at the realization of what had happened.

"Get off me!" She pushed against him and when he wouldn't let go of the grip he had on her hips she shoved harder and even tried hitting his chest to get the point across. She was hurting herself more than him she knew but she was angry. "I. Am. Not. Katherine!" She exclaimed angrily as she continued to squirm and try desperately to get out of his grip. Stefan's eyes had darkened when he leveled with her and as she said the words she became fearful of him, but she only sounded angrier. Either way she was desperate to get away from him. She had to get home, she just needed to be away from him. "Let me go! Stop it!" She exclaimed when he got hold of her wrists and held them against the car.

"Would you shut up for just one second!" Stefan breathed, inches away from her mouth and turned his head to listen for something. For a split second he disappeared and Elena thought she should take the opportunity to leave, she could walk for a bit and call a cab at the corner or something, she was too angry to be in a car with Stefan. But just as she had pulled her phone out of her purse she felt a rush of air as she was dragged somewhere violently and slammed against a wall.

Someone was kissing her and fumbling with her blouse, pressing his body against hers, and Elena felt completely stunned for a moment before she started screaming for him to stop. Once she realized what was happening she pushed the first button on her phone and knew it would dial someone in her speed dial, she wasn't sure who but anyone one of her friends would hear her and know she was in trouble. She screamed again and pushed and kicked against this person, punching them with tiny fists that made absolutely no difference, the man was solid, and strong she realized as he grabbed her left arm and stared at the phone in her hand.

"Why would you do that Katherine?" He glared at her and Elena felt her eyes widen in shock again, and disbelief and fear as his grip on her arm became harder and pain shot through it.

"What? No!"

"Elena can you hear me? You called me by accident." Elena considered for a moment but she was desperate to get out of the man's grip and she was scared, tears were falling down her face and she was terrified now. He grabbed the phone out of her hand and tossed it lazily over his shoulder and then she heard a snap in her arm.

"Stop screaming." He hissed into her ear but the pain in her arm was nearing unbearable now and he shook her. As he was shaking her she hit her head against the wall behind her but she didn't stop, she refused to stop fighting. Her life depended on it, even as her blouse was torn and she was hurting herself more than him by kicking with what little force she had left in her.

"Please stop! I'm not Katherine." There was a smack across her face and then she felt something else snap as he wrapped his arm around her and pulled her to him so tightly that the breath left her. She could only cry now, and it was still making him angry, the crying and the tears and so he told her to stop one more time but as she wouldn't, she physically couldn't now, his hands went around her neck.

* * *

Elena woke up in a terrified sweat, she was crying, sobbing and it hurt, every bone in her body was sore and painful and she felt as if every wound had happened to her again, her skin seared where he had touched her, where he had tried to stifle her, to kill her. She opened her eyes expecting to be in Damon's arms, hoping for him to be there ready to soothe her and call her angel and make her feel safe but instead she was forced to scream at the sight of her nightmare.

* * *

Sorry for the cliffhanger people :) it had to be done... Chapter 4 coming up soon and hopefully some really good Delena moments


	4. Iris

Damon couldn't stand her screaming, not because of the sound or the pitch but Elena's screams made him flinch. They made him fearful and made him feel like his heart was going to freeze right out of his chest. He'd never heard her scream like this, except maybe the night that she'd called him but the phone had hidden so much, he realized she was screaming the same things now. Claiming not to be Katherine begging to be left alone, to not be hurt. When Damon came bursting through the door he hadn't expected to see him there. And he certainly hadn't expected to see Elena trying to fight him. Damon ignored him sitting on her bed and leaped over to her, taking her up in his arms and shielding her from the thing that was scaring her so deeply.

"Elena shhh, it's just Stefan." She had been asleep and Damon had left her room for two seconds to clean up downstairs, he couldn't believe he hadn't heard or smelled Stefan come through her window, which had previously been closed and locked, Damon was sure of it.

"It's Stefan!" She cried into his chest and held him as tightly as she could, she was shaking and sobbing and still terrified.

"I know angel, he won't hurt you."

"No. Damon." She was heaving in between sobs, in a panic-stricken way and Damon worried about her breathing again. "He. Did. This. It was Stefan." She managed to get out as Damon comprehended her words he turned to look at his brother who had suddenly become very dark. Damon recognized it in Stefan easier than anyone else would, he remembered this part of his brother. "He thought -I was Katherine." Damon felt Elena's labored breathing turn into whimpers as she cowered into him, still shaking profoundly.

Damon was lost for words, all he felt was anger toward Stefan who was beginning to look more and more like a real threat as he hunched his shoulders slightly and looked like he was going to jump the two of them. Damon realized he was in a bad position, literally, in trying to shield Elena he had his back turned to Stefan so he turned around with Elena sinking behind him. He could hear her whimper at the loss of his touch but right now the instinct to protect her was wrought somewhere deep inside him and Stefan was the threat. He had never thought this would happen, Stefan of all people.

"She is mine."

"Like hell she is." Damon's words came out in a snarl and when Stefan lunged for him Damon was ready for it and he deliberately sent the two of them flying out the window. They needed to be away from Elena for this, the sight of the two of them fighting would break her worse, she'd been through enough. When they got to the ground and the two brothers both got up from where they'd landed in equal time but Damon was faster to get to Stefan and shove him up against a tree. A branch pierced his little brother's gut, but not his heart and Stefan just laughed at it. He laughed at Damon.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" He laughed again at his older brother, and it reminded him too much of the way Stefan had been, before Lexie. It angered him and strangled him, and made him feel guilty, the brat always got to him like this. As if after 147 years he was still responsible for the ass. "Stefan I'm going to tell you this once and only once. You stay the hell away from Elena or I will kill you." Damon hissed the words at Stefan as he moved right up to his younger brother's face and stared him down, his fangs were very visible and he knew his eyes couldn't get any darker if he tried. He was furious, about ready to kill him if he didn't agree with him this instant.

"Elena? Who cares about what happens to Elena?" Stefan shrugged from his branch and Damon staked him with a stray piece of tree, this time in the shoulder. "If you care so much about her Damon, maybe you shouldn't have left her alone." Stefan laughed again, a vindictive, twisted laugh that Damon had only heard once before in his life and he still didn't like it. He left Stefan hanging against his tree where he was and got to Elena's room in a split second.

There was no one there but Elena who was curled up on the floor next to her bed, still shaking, the window was letting the cold air in and Damon moved to shut it quickly, as he did, he saw that Stefan had disappeared from his tree and Damon cursed himself for letting his little brother get away with this. He walked over to Elena and checked her to see if she was hurt at all but all he could see was the slightest hint of the bruises that had been there already and the cast on her arm. When he was done checking her over she crawled into his lap and wrapped her arms around his neck, burying her face into the crook of his neck and shoulder and taking a deep shaky breath.

She didn't say a word to him as he picked her up and crawled into the bed with her, hiding his own shame and anger, and devastation at his brother's betrayal. It was too much, even for Stefan he couldn't believe the extent to which he'd gone to profess his love for _Katherine. _The bitch, if Damon ever got his hands on her-

Elena sighed then and he forgot every notion of ever having loved Katherine, Elena was almost calm as she looked up at him with her dark soulful eyes. Damon thought she was going to say something but instead she sat up to pull the thick covers over both of them before she lay back down, facing him. He turned onto his right side and pulled her close to him as gently as he could and placed a kiss on her forehead and closed his own eyes. Damon had never been so hurt in his life, not even when Stefan killed their father and the founding families, or when he'd betrayed Katherine. He had hurt Elena, he had tried to break her and torture her in the worst way possible and Damon was astounded at how Stefan could have been so stupid. He had nabbed himself the most perfect creature in the world and then decided to torment it. He felt her eyelashes flutter, placing soft butterfly kisses onto his neck before they stopped and she had settled against him. Her heartbeat strong and steady, Damon for the first time in his life felt completely whole at having her next to him and was completely contented in the fact that she felt safe in his arms.

If all he could do was make her feel safe, he would do it forever.

* * *

Damon woke up to what he assumed was the morning, there was a dull grey light shining through Elena's window and he could hear her heartbeat, it wasn't as peaceful as it had been when she was falling asleep, just slightly faster. He closed his eyes and didn't want to open them again, he wanted to revel in this beautiful moment, at the knowledge that she was perfectly peaceful in his arms but she stirred for a moment and ran her slender hand up his arm.

"Damon?" she whispered, he felt the fluttering of her eyelashes against his skin and she sighed resting her head on his chest for only a moment before getting up and going to the bathroom. He couldn't tell what she was doing in there, but when she came out he recognized the determined sound in her voice as she said his name again.

"Damon?"

"Elena." He answered, still refusing to open his eyes, and ignoring the determination in her voice.

"Damon I want you to turn me." She said firmly and Damon opened his eyes to look at her carefully, sitting up straight in the bed as she sat across from him.

"Excuse me?" He asked her mockingly, he refused to take this seriously. She had no idea what she was talking about.

"You heard me."

"Well yeah, but Elena-"

"But Elena nothing- Damon, I'm tired of running, and being hunted. The best way to end it is by turning me right? Then Klaus can't use me to break the curse and at least I won't be so helpless all the time." He couldn't believe that just a few minutes ago the two of them had been in bed together and he'd felt completely blissful when now he felt a fear clutching at him.

"Elena I won't do it." He said stubbornly, he wouldn't, he refused. There was no way he was going to be the one to end her human life.

"Then I'll get Caroline to do it."

"Like hell you will!" Damon stood up from the bed. He felt like he'd been hit with a pack of snow. "Would you think about what you're saying!"

"I'm saying that I'm tired of being the hopeless case that you all have to defend, even Jeremy has the option of fighting back-"

"He's not giving up his humanity to do it!"

"Neither did you."

"You're asking me to _take it _from you Elena. You're asking me to take your life from you! Nothing would ever be the same for you!" he shook his head violently feeling cornered and idiotic for feeling this way but he refused to be the one responsible for causing her more pain and suffering. She would have to suffer through watching her friends and family grow old and die. He wouldn't allow it, he'd seen too many vampires lose their minds, he was already worried about how Caroline was going to cope in the future, he couldn't do that, not to Elena. "You have no idea what you're asking me to do." He sank back onto the bed and stared at the floor for a second before he looked back up at her. She knelt down in front of him and placed her good hand on his cheek, both of them were giving each other pleading looks and he knew she still had no idea of the gravity of what she was asking from him.

"Damon, I'm tired of being _scared._" There it was, he knew she was going to give him that look and then say something that would break his heart and make him want to give into her. He didn't want her to be scared, but he couldn't do this. He reached out and took her into his lap, enfolding her into his arms and silently cursing her for those puppy looks that she did so well. He buried his head into the silky skin of her neck and whispered softly in the hopes that this would satisfy her until he could change her mind.

"Not yet Elena. Please hang on for a little longer, I'll keep you safe. Just not yet- please." She leaned back a bit and placed a kiss on his forehead as she held him steadily and moved him so he would look into her dark eyes. She looked tearful for a moment but she smiled.

"I'll wait, but I'm not dropping this." Damon chuckled, he had expected as much from her, and he was happy to see that steadily there were hints of her old self that were beginning to show through the pain and betrayal.

* * *

"What do you mean it was Stefan?" Jenna looked stunned, Caroline and Jeremy looked murderous and Bonnie simply looked like she had suspected it all along. Alaric looked surprised only for a moment before he came to the most obvious question.

"How do you want us to deal with this Damon?"

"What do you mean, how do we deal with this? The same way we've dealt with it in the past, we kill him." Jeremy stated simply as he sat down next to Bonnie in the couch.

"Jeremy, he's Damon's _brother_. We can't just kill him." Caroline spoke, she had gone from stunned to angry in a moment, but she was worried. Caroline was like Jenna in the sense that her expressions were very easy to read and right now she was looking at Damon expectantly. When had he become the leader in this entirely messed up 'justice league'?

"No, but we can run him out of town." Bonnie stated simply.

"Bu- wait what?" Jenna started to speak again but then stared incredulously at Bonnie.

"Well it sounds like you've been a busy little witch." Damon stated, glaring intently at the girl that he kind of liked and kind of didn't.

"Bonnie what do you mean?" Jenna ignored Damon's little remarks as she looked over to Bonnie, she still wasn't used to this whole, we can do magic thing.

"I've been working on a spell, to keep a vampire out of an entire area. Like 'uninviting' them or something. Apparently the spell forces them to high-tail it out of the protected area and they can never come back."

"Would it work for the entirety of Mystic Falls?" Alaric asked curiously and Damon could tell he was partially curious as to how many vampires would be effected by this.

"It should, but it's only effective on one vampire. So it would be Stefan-specific."

"So why haven't we used this spell before?" an obvious question from dear Caroline.

"Well I wasn't strong enough, but I've been practising, the only thing is, we need Stefan to be present while I perform the spell."

"Oh sure, that should be easy. Just peachy!" Count on Caroline to be the eternal realist.

* * *

Elena sat on the large examining table with her legs dangling over it gently as she watched Damon walk around the room quietly. He was here, the way he always was now. She realized suddenly that he'd always been there, he had been the one to stop her from her suicide mission and he had been there for her when Stefan was hopped up on blood. He had been the one to save her from Elijah when Rose had kidnapped her. She had almost forgotten about Rose, she realized. She didn't really know what had happened, only that Rose was dead and it had effected him more severely than Elena had thought. But he looked close to his old self now as he moved towards her that knowing gleam in his bright blue eyes and a smile playing on his lips. Elena pondered how he could smell so good, and so warm as he came right up close to her and put a hand next to her thighs at each side of the doctor's examining table.

"How are you feeling?" he asked, dangerously close to her face and she tilted back a bit to answer him.

"Good, I can't wait to get this thing off." She tapped the cast on her left arm and smiled at him. "What's the plan with Stefan?" She asked quietly as he sat down next to her and she instinctively leaned into him.

"Bonnie's working on something." That was all he said, he had been very vague about what was going on, and she didn't know how everyone else was reacting to the realization that it was Stefan. "She didn't seem at all surprised that it was Stefan."

"Really?"

"Hmm. Jenna was the only one who looked genuinely surprised. Your brother and Caroline were up in arms." He chuckled "They looked absolutely murderous." He moved his head and nuzzled into her neck as he spoke. Elena could feel his warm breath against her ear and against her neck as he brushed his lips ever so lightly over a spot beneath her ear she'd never realized was so sensitive before. Elena shivered and nudged him, she wasn't used to him being _this _intimate with her and someone was opening the door to the room.

"Well aren't you two cute as ever." Elena actually smiled at the sight of Christie as she came in and took in the sight of Damon and Elena so close together. "I take it you two got yourselves sorted." She smiled and Elena didn't care what she was reading into their closeness. Elena wasn't even sure what she was supposed to read into it. Damon cared about her, a lot, that much she could tell but she wasn't sure what to think of everything else, and he was seriously distracted most of the time. She couldn't begin to imagine what was going through his mind, she could tell he was torn though, between protecting Elena and punishing the person who had done this. Despite everything they always said about each other Elena knew that they were still brothers, and they loved each other because of it. She didn't think Damon could ever bring himself to kill Stefan.

"What are you doing here Christie? Don't you work upstairs?"

"Oh sure but when I heard the nurses whispering that _the hottest guy in the world _had just walked in here I had to see for myself." Elena giggled and rolled her eyes. "But you know I think I got the wrong room." She added on much to Elena's delight and Damon pretended for a moment to actually be offended before Christie smiled again and started taking some equipment out of the cupboards and placing them on a sterile tray.

She moved the tray over onto the little table next to where Elena was sitting and then smiled at her. "Ok sweetie, so the doctor's going to be in in just a second. He's going to use a small electrical saw to take off the cast. But don't worry, it's actually pretty blunt and it definitely won't hurt. The saw creates little vibrations which might feel a bit funny but it'll break the plaster. Don't be scared if you think your arm looks pale or even a bit thin, the doctor will give you some exercises to get your strength back up."

"Do you know when my ribs will heal?" Elena asked once she was done with her explanation, she was more than sick and tired of being sore and not being able to bend over properly, or at times breathe.

"Oh well, you need to rest your body as much as you can. But usually broken ribs take between three to six weeks to heal. So you just need to be patient." When Christie left Elena leaned heavily into Damon again and sighed, she had begun ignoring the pain in her chest but she didn't think it was a good thing that she was growing 'used' to the pain.

When the doctor took the cast off, Elena realized how right Christie had been, her arm looked thin and fragile and very pale compared to her usual olive complexion. It wasn't as creepy as she had imagined but her skin felt strange and her arm was most definitely weaker. Damon smiled at her knowingly the way he usually did before the doctor asked Elena to come and sign a few things.

As they were walking back to the car, Elena was still doing some of the stretching exercises with her hand when she turned to Damon and smiled up at him.

"Can I drive?" He looked surprised for only a moment before he narrowed his eyes, leaned in a bit closer and chuckled.

"Mmm, No." He drawled out, teasing her.

"And why not?" Elena asked him slightly indignant.

"Because I don't think you should be driving with a recovering arm and two broken ribs." He stated simply and opened the passenger door for her. She got in, but not before she had given him her big puppy dog look that he hated. He chuckled as he got into the driver's seat and looked at her. She didn't even realize that she had crossed her arms easily and without hesitation or pain.

"What are you laughing at?" She demanded from him.

"You're cute when you pout." He stated and Elena found herself trying very, very hard to bite back a smile. She was surprised at how easily she had become so comfortable around Damon, driving home from the hospital with him seemed- almost- normal.

"Damon can we go somewhere- else? I don't feel like going home."

"Where can I take you?" Damon asked, he was being exceptionally nice to her today and Elena figured it was because he was distracted.

"Anywhere. Just not home, not yet please." She stretched in the passenger seat and looked over at Damon who smiled to himself. She knew that giving Damon a free pass might be a bit dangerous, he had a tendency to go overboard, like kidnap her on a trip to Georgia but maybe she needed to get away.

* * *

Damon parked the car at the side of the old road, not many people knew that it was here, it had been the road used for carriages running alongside the river, but now it was mostly deserted, hardly visible between the wildlife that had reclaimed it as its own. Damon walked over to Elena's side where she was looking curiously around her, he knew what she was thinking. She had spent her whole life in Mystic Falls and she didn't know what they were doing _here._ When he opened her door she looked up at him before getting out of the car and raised an eyebrow.

"Is this the part where you kill me and stash my body?" She asked looking serious but gave him her sweet smile as she stepped out. She stood before him and smiled up at him amused, she actually looked happy, Damon hadn't seen her like this that often. Not truly happy, at least not around him, she was usually annoyed or tired or serious, or begging him not to do something stupid. This was new to him, and he liked it much better.

"Nope this is the part where I kidnap you." He picked her up then and sped up through the woods, following the very narrow path and trying not to jostle her too much since her ribs still weren't completely healed and she wasn't supposed to be straining her body. The wind flew into his face as the trees passed them at an unnatural speed until he finally felt the very cold air that lingered around water hit him and he recognized the smell of running water and rocks and he began to slow down. Without putting her down he made his way down the rocks that had become more and more angular over the years. It had been a while since he'd been here but he remembered each step perfectly, even if some of the rocks had shifted slightly or changed shape. He felt Elena gasp for a second and grab onto him tighter, burying her head into his chest, he should have told her not to look at what he was doing because to a human this would look dangerous and incredibly steep.

When he finally reached the little alcove Elena didn't seem to realize that Damon had slowed down and was on level ground again. "Elena you can open your eyes now." He spoke softly, his voice echoing slightly against the smooth wet stones as they stood right at the side of the actual Mystic Falls, known as 'Little Firehole Falls' before the founding families had arrived to claim it as their own.

He set her down on her own feet as he saw her eyes widen at the sight before her. She stood for a moment at the entrance of the little alcove looking out over the cascading falls as water hit rock violently. The air was cold, Damon could see her breath linger in the air as she looked at everything carefully and then closed her eyes, taking a deep breath in. Something he didn't see her do very often since it hurt. She looked sadly beautiful with the water falling behind her, the cool air had brought a flush to her cheeks and nose and she was getting just a little damp from the spray of the water. Damon took off his jacket and walked over to her, deliberately making some noise so he wouldn't scare her, he placed his leather jacket over her shoulders and took in the feeling of her as she leaned back against him and he put his arms around her chest, gently kissing the top of her head as she looked out over the falls.

There were a lot of things he felt he should tell her, about himself, and about him and Stefan. Most importantly he wanted to tell her how he felt about her. How he loved her, and God did he love her! He needed her to know but he didn't know what it would do to her now. She still loved Stefan, he could tell that much and she was hurting and confused, and she was ready to give up her life. Damon couldn't believe that, of all things what was she thinking when she thought that it was okay to become a vampire? When she asked _him _of all people to change her, he loved her too much to do that.

"Elena."

"hmm." She murmured leaning into him a bit more, but he took her gently and turned her around so they were looking at each other.

"I need to say something." She tilted her head to the side a bit, a small frown playing on her face as she looked up at him with those dark expecting eyes. "I just need to say it once, I need you to hear it."

"Damon I-"

"Elena I love you." Her expression looked almost exactly the same as the last time he had told her, except slightly less surprised, her lips were folded into the most seductive little pout and her eyes, damn her eyes for being so deep.

"Damon I-"

"I don't expect you-" She put her fingers up to his lips and frowned at him for interrupting her again.

"Damon, I _know._" She said and Damon had a hard time suppressing his surprise.

"What do you mean; you _know?"_

"I remembered it the first time Damon." She said very softly taking hold of his shirt with both hands and pulling him a bit closer. "You can't just say you love me and then try to make me forget. Not this time." She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him very softly on the corner of his lips. Damon tasted the moment, breathing in the scent of her jasmine perfume and he refused to let this moment pass up. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer to him. When he kissed her, really kissed her he felt like bursting out his skin, her lips were warm and soft against his, her warmth set him on fire. He ran his fingers up her back and into her soft hair as he tilted her back a little bit. He could feel her heart beating steadily faster against his chest and the sound of her breathing coming faster as she tangled her slender fingers into his hair. She pulled back a little bit, and whispered against his lips as she took a breath.

"I love you Damon." He felt like his heart might break from the sudden burst of love he had for her, for this one creature, his angel. She loved him and he would do everything in his power, anything to be deserving of that.

* * *

THAHAAAAAA there you have it UGH FINALLY a first kiss :) Sorry to leave you guys hanging here again. I'll be working on Chapter 5 A.S.A.P. thank you already for the wonderful reviews. I'm shocked and thrilled at how much attention this is getting.

As to 'how' Elena remembers, well... I'll leave that to your imaginations for now... I will be addressing it later on.

Anyway hope you enjoyed it, please review, I know, I know a lot of this chapter is filler fluff. But we are actually getting to the good stuff. Soon I promise :D

**TO BE CONTINUED...**


	5. Good To You

_**Author's note**__: WOW! First of all I would like to thank EVERYONE who has been following this little fanfic so diligently, I can't believe the amount of attention that it's getting, though I'm absolutely thrilled. So thank you for all your faves and subscriptions and reviews. Partially due to the popularity of this fanfic I have included in this chapter lots and lots of Delena fluffyness. _

_I'm sorry for the wait, but to reward you all for your patience this chapter is quite long, so ENJOY!_

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* * *

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Elena felt her heart pounding heavily in her ears as Damon kissed her more passionately and his touches seared her skin. He had said that he loved her. He had said it now, and he hadn't tried to make her forget. She had nearly laughed at the shock on his face when she said that she remembered, but it didn't matter. This time she'd gotten the chance to say it back. She should have said it then, should have called out for him in the night. It was him she had wanted to run to when they had saved her from Elijah. She had been running down the steps to Damon, she had been relieved to see Damon, not Stefan. He moved her to sit in his lap as they watched the sky grow a bit darker and the water cascaded down the rocks she leaned into him and entangled her fingers with his as he wrapped his arms around her. She had loved Stefan but she _needed _Damon. She was completely and irrevocably happy when he held her in his arms and called her angel. That was another thing-

"Damon?"

"Elena." She giggled a bit, she still thought it was a bit annoying when he did that but then that was why he did it.

"You've been calling me angel a lot lately." Damon chuckled, Elena felt him shake slightly behind her and she tried turning herself without hurting her ribs too much. He looked amused at _something _though she was clueless as to what.

"I know, I wasn't sure if you'd noticed because I don't really know when that started." he smiled at her, it wasn't his usual two second smirk it was a genuinely amused and contented smile.

"I'm not so interested in the 'when' as in the 'why'." Elena stated snuggling back into him as she could tell he had to think on it for a second.

"Because you're my angel Elena. _You _and your grace. You keep coming back for me when anyone else would've given up." She turned around, straddling him to look into those blue eyes, he was being completely sincere, there was no hint of his usual mocking tones or sarcasm. He meant it and it took her slightly by surprise, she had expected some sarcastic quip as a reason for the unusual nickname.

"You don't think that's just because I'm stubborn?" He chuckled again, smiling that priceless smile that Elena felt was just for her.

"Elena you're more stubborn than a mule but that's not why I call you angel." he smiled, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear and kissing her gently. "And then there's also the song." He leaned back again." Elena gave a little frown, her lips pouting ever so slightly as she did so.

"What song?"

"Lips of an Angel." Damon chuckled.

"Isn't that about a man who's cheating on his girlfriend with his ex?" He grinned, and there it was, that unmistakable grin that was in every way the Damon she remembered. She rolled her eyes for a moment and slapped his shoulder gently before looking at him again. "How about we stick with your other explanation?"

"Sounds like a plan." Damon whispered from that soft spot behind her ear that only he knew how to tease. Elena closed her eyes, this was one of those moments that she never ever wanted to forget.

When they got back to the car Damon put her into the car gently and Elena closed her eyes as they drove silently past the trees, the setting sun was pouring through the branches and Elena was very simply happy to have Damon next to her, his hand covering hers gently as he drove her home. She led Damon up the front steps but he stopped her at her front door and turned her around. Elena was stuck between Damon and a wall again but for the first time it felt exciting and new instead of wrong and guilt-ridden. She smiled up at him, meeting his glimmering blue eyes as his lips met hers. This kiss was deeper than before, much, much, deeper. His tongue found it's way to the very edge of her lips and -oh she had no idea that area was so sensitive- as she parted her lips for him and her hands went up around his neck. She felt herself flush hot as his hands snaked around her waist and she could feel his curious fingers exploring the little sliver of skin that was exposed by the sweater that was riding up. When he moved his kisses along her jaw and into her neck Elena thought she would burn up, she could see her breath fogging up the air before she was forced to close her eyes at his intoxicating touch again.

"Damon." His name spilled out of her lips almost involuntarily and he pulled away. That oh so Damonesque grin playing on his face. She slapped his shoulder, slightly angry at that smirk, she knew he was revelling at getting her so worked up. But it wasn't really fair, and two could play at that game.

The door opened behind them though and Jeremy stood in the doorway, a knowing smile on his lips as he raised his eyebrows and then leaned against the doorway, arms folded. "You guys shouldn't stand outside like that, you'll catch a cold." he grinned at his older sister who felt like smacking him over the head. "Bonnie wanted to talk to you Damon." He said more seriously and then went inside leaving them for a minute.

"Damon, before I forget." She kept him outside for a moment but pulled the silver necklace out of her pocket. "Could you uhm- get rid of this for me? I wasn't sure what to do with it, I didn't know if it was like an heirloom or something so-" She asked nervously, staring at the little silver pendant that Stefan had once given her. Damon looked at it indifferently and took the necklace in his large hand and pocketed the thing.

"What are you going to do for protection?" He asked her, eyeing her carefully.

"The same thing I did when you told me you loved me. Keep vervein in my pocket." She shrugged and smiled before turning and going inside.

* * *

"How much time do you need for this spell Bonnie?" Damon asked exasperatedly as Bonnie poured over the grimoire, her dark hair falling down her shoulders. Jeremy was standing not too far away. It was the third time this week he'd been over at the Gilbert house since Elena had said that she loved him, and they still couldn't figure out how to get this plan to work and into motion.

"At least five minutes." Damon saw this all as a big problem, Stefan wasn't himself, Damon didn't know what to make of the entire situation with him since his brother was clearly under the influence of _something. _Damon was in the midst of wondering whether it was another original or blood, or maybe both, and then there was this fixation he seemed to have with Katherine, maybe they could use that. But Katherine wasn't exactly the most compliant creature in the world.

"And Stefan has to be present during the entire thing?" He asked finally, this wasn't the best plan he thought to himself, problems seemed to keep piling up in his mind and he wasn't sure what other options they would have if this went wrong.

"Yes."

"Does he have to be conscious?" Jeremy asked then, moving to sit across from Bonnie who looked a little hesitant but then looking from Jeremy to Damon answered.

"No, I guess not. But then there's no way of telling if it worked. If he's conscious he'll have to leave, he'll be physically forced out of the place, but if he's unconscious we'll have to wait until he wakes up to see if it worked." Damon groaned and sat down next to Jeremy as Elena walked into the room with Caroline right behind her. He felt an urge then, despite all the things that could go wrong with this plan it had to be done. Elena had to be protected.

"I'm hungry." Jeremy interjected before they went any further and started to get up from the table.

"You're always hungry." Bonnie grumbled and Jeremy gave one of his crooked grins to her before giving her a peck on the cheek. Elena sat down where Jeremy had been before and wrapped her hand around Damon's, leaning into his shoulder.

"You alright?" Bonnie asked her with a worried look on her face.

"Mmm. Just tired, and a bit hungry." She said quietly.

"Don't worry, I've got it covered!" Jeremy bellowed from the kitchen and Elena sat up straight again with a little frown on her face.

"Jeremy cooks?" Bonnie asked, as surprised as everyone else in the room.

"Oh be very, very worried." Caroline joked and Elena was about to get up to stop her little brother but Damon stopped her and turned her head to look at him.

"Relax, he's ordering pizza." He chuckled at Elena's obvious relief as she giggled too.

"So how do you plan on getting Stefan to stay put?" She asked suddenly and Damon felt he shouldn't have been surprised, he looked over at Caroline who was giving him her most unconvincing, I-didn't-do-it look.

"We don't know yet." Bonnie added looking somewhat disgruntled at that fact.

"He's been fixated on Katherine, we should use that." Damon voiced his idea in a low voice, he wasn't entirely sure if he liked this idea yet himself, but in a strange way he needed to know what they thought. Bonnie in particular, this was her little shindig they were running.

"Katherine wouldn't cooperate, would she?" Elena looked up at him curiously as she sat up a bit straighter, never taking her hand out of his.

"Not unless she thinks she's getting something out of it." Caroline was the one to speak though it wasn't uncommon knowledge that Katherine would never do anything unless she was gaining something from it. "We don't have anything she wants."

"She would get Stefan." Damon answered and all eyes were instantly directed to him. "What?" He widened his blue eyes at them, beginning to like this plan more and more as he considered something he hadn't before. "Stefan is fixated on killing Katherine, for a reason _far beyond _any of us, and he is so fixated on it that he's mistaken Elena for her twice now."

"And why would Katherine agree to use herself as bait for someone who wants to kill her?" Bonnie looked at him as if he were being stupid but Damon just flashed her that grin and looked at her intently.

"Katherine doesn't _know _that Stefan wants to kill her." He shrugged and looked back over at the rest of them. "As far as Katherine knows, Stefan is simply off his rocker a bit, and he took it out on Elena." He felt Elena's hand tighten on his own and put an arm around her shoulder.

"We _could _make her think that he was mad at Elena for not being Katherine." Jeremy offered, carefully looking at Bonnie who was stuck in a serious frown with her arms crossed, leaning into the back of her chair, lost in thought.

"How though?" She said looking up now more interested in how they would do it instead of whether or not it would work.

"The same way we got her into that room at the masquerade party." Caroline added. "We all play a part to make her think that she's one step ahead of us."

"But how do we get Stefan there?" Bonnie asked again.

"Once Katherine is there, Stefan will come don't you think? The only reason he hasn't gotten to Katherine yet is because she's staying out of sight instead of pretending to be Elena."

"If we do it somewhere public, like one of the founder's day parties. He'll probably show up there anyway looking for her." Caroline was getting better and better at this, Damon realized how far she'd come from the silly blond cheerleader. He involuntarily felt a swell of pride in him at the sight of her cooking up some evil plan. The doorbell rang just in time for them all to be dragged out of their serious thoughts, and Damon wondered when and how they had come to this. They were all planning to exile Stefan from Mystic Falls, about a year ago they were trying to get rid of _him._

"We can figure the details out later. Right now though it's pizza time!" Jeremy grinned as he moved to the foyer to open the front door.

They spent the rest of the evening talking about nothing in particular, Damon and Jeremy retreated to the couch to play some xbox for a little, while they weren't really listening and Damon was telling Jeremy what the girls were talking about in the kitchen. Mostly they were talking about Damon and Jeremy, occasionally there was a question about Matt, and how Jenna was doing with the whole vampires-are-real thing.

Jeremy and Damon were genuinely amused at the girl's gossip as they went on about other girls at their school. How they could still care about things like that after everything they had been through was so far beyond Damon's understanding. Though he thought it was good for Elena to still feel attached to her human life, she wouldn't have those things if she were ever turned, human gossip meant very little to vampires. Even Caroline had a hard time, he knew. If it weren't for her best friends being a witch and a doppleganger, and another one of her friends ending up a werewolf Damon was positive that she wouldn't give a rat's ass about the new girl from Arizona.

By the time Jenna came home they were all sitting in the living room watching a movie like good little children. Damon got up when he saw Alaric motion him over to talk.

"What is it?" Damon asked quietly, very aware that Caroline was listening even though the girls' eyes were locked on the movie.

"Stefan was hanging around the school today."

"Looking for Elena." Damon said more to himself than to Ric as he looked over to where Elena was leaning into Caroline, taking some popcorn out of the bowl before passing it on to Bonnie.

"Why else would he be there? He hasn't been to the boarding house has he?" Damon shrugged but shook his head.

"I don't think so, I've been with Elena all day though." Damon ignored the disapproving look that passed over Ric's face and guided him into the kitchen to discuss what they'd been thinking for the plan with Stefan.

"When do you plan on doing all this?" Jenna asked finally as she'd been listening in on the conversation for a while now. There was no more hiding these things from her.

"We don't know yet."

"Carole Lockwood is planning a mixer for the founding families next Saturday." She said, pouring herself and the two men each a glass of wine. "Almost everyone you need will be invited, Bonnie and Ric can come as plus-ones."

"Katherine can pretend to be Elena." Damon took a good sip from his glass of wine.

"Do you think she'll do that?" Alaric looked doubtful as he sipped his wine.

"If she thinks she's getting what she wants, and what she wants right now is Stefan, she'll do it."

"I'll make sure Carole includes all of you in the invitations." Jenna said without hesitation and Damon watched her carefully. Her honest face held that same determination that Elena had sometimes. They may not really be related but sometimes it was obvious that they were family.

The three of them were interrupted when Caroline and Bonnie came into the kitchen stretching and yawning and announcing that they were going home.

"Tell Elena we said bye."

"Did she go up to bed?" Jenna asked as she showed the girls out to the front door, Damon wasn't listening anymore though, he had moved into the living room where he heard Elena's steady heartbeat and knew that she was on the verge of falling into a deep sleep. He sat on the very edge of the couch leaning over her and running a finger over her slightly flushed cheek. She mumbled something inaudible and hunched her shoulder for him to stop but then he leaned over further and kissed her, first on the corner of her sweet pouting lips and then on her neck. He made her eyes flutter open slightly and then she stretched beneath him, turning onto her back and gazing at him from under those dark eyelashes.

"Hi." He smiled at her and stayed unmoving as she moved her hands up his arms and pulled him a bit closer.

"Hello." She kissed him, passionately at first but then she sealed it with the softest of kisses before she snuggled back into the couch and looked at him more carefully.

"Ready for bed?" Damon asked her and she flashed him a dark look as he started to pick her up and carry her out the living room. She was a little heavier than the day she'd gotten back from the hospital, but her weight still wasn't quite right. Damon couldn't tell what was going through her mind she only smiled at him as he placed her gently in her bed and covered her with her thick blankets before kissing her gently on her forehead and turning to leave. She had caught hold of his hand though and pulled him back towards her.

When he sat down on the bed he didn't expect her to sit up and lean into his arms, letting him cradle her, he had never thought he would be able to do this. Just hold her, it was seriously testing his resolve though, he knew that she needed time, even though she loved him, she needed some time to sort out what exactly she wanted from him. But it didn't change what he wanted. More than anything he wanted to show her how much he loved her, in every way possible.

"Please don't leave Damon." Elena whispered just as Damon heard Jenna coming up the stairs with Alaric behind her, she stopped by Elena's open door and eyed the two of them carefully. She could tell that Elena seemed to have a serious need for Damon's presence at the moment, and no one could blame her for wanting to feel the safety that he provided. She'd been through way too much to be expected to just brush it off after a few weeks.

"Damon this door stays open or you stay in the guestroom. Any funny business and you're out of here." It wasn't a question but Jenna expected a response from him. Damon at first had the urge to say that he didn't mind leaving the door open if she wanted to listen in, but then thought better of it. Instead he gave her his two second grin and leaned away from Elena just long enough to respond to what her guardian had just said.

"Sure thing Jenna." When Damon looked back at Elena she moved over from where she had usually slept onto the right side of the bed and pulled him in to lie next to her. This was a much better set-up since he was now able to guard her from whatever might come through her window. Which was mostly Stefan. Damon shed himself of his most uncomfortable clothing and silently crawled into bed with the woman that he loved.

* * *

Elena woke up early that morning for the first time in a long time. She woke up feeling well-rested and happy and absolutely normal. She stretched under her covers and was thrilled at the feeling of the man who was still sleeping beside her. Elena always used to wake up early, that way she could get washed and dressed and still have some time to write in her journal or finish up on homework. Lately the medication had been making her groggy, and her nightmares hadn't been allowing her to sleep properly. But with Damon beside her- she smiled.

She fluttered her eyes open and saw him laying next to her on his back, one hand tucked slightly under his pillow and head turned towards her. He was laying perfectly still, part of being a vampire is that they didn't breathe, at all. Elena ignored the fact that he wasn't breathing and lifted herself onto her elbow to look at him for a moment longer, he had long eyelashes she realized now that his eyes were closed and attention wasn't drawn to the blueness of them. Elena couldn't believe how quiet and peaceful he was, as he slept, there were no frowns or smirks or 1000 watt smiles. She reached out and brushed away the messy strands of hair that were covering his forehead and he stirred slightly as she ran her hand down his face and onto the plains of his bare chest. She was very happy that he had done away with his shirt before coming to bed and couldn't believe that before she'd forced herself not to notice how beautiful he was.

"Damon." She whispered quietly to him, close to his face but he only grumbled something while she trailed her finger down his chest, making little circles on the hard muscles there. "Damon?"

"No." He growled, covering his face with an arm and saying something about the sun having just risen. Elena giggled, she should have guessed he wasn't a morning person. But _she was. _Elena wasn't about to give up yet, not when she felt so blissfully good for the first time in weeks. She sat up a bit before dropping herself on him, draping herself over his chest, and showering whatever visible skin with kisses and giggles. Damon groaned heavily part in surprise and part out of grumpiness. Elena made her way up his chest to his neck and his jaw line and then desperately tried to move his arm from his face. "Alright I give up!" He moaned and opened his blue eyes at her as she hovered above his face smiling. This is what she wanted. _How could she not have seen it before? _She wondered as she made herself more comfortable now.

"Good morning." She smiled resting her chin on his chest and looking up into his still sleepy blue eyes.

"How the hell did I fall in love with a morning person?" Damon growled and then turned her over so he was leaning onto her. Elena could tell he was still being very gentle, afraid to hurt her in any way. Elena ignored his question and pulled him to her for a kiss, running her fingers through his bed hair and feeling no shame at all in running her fingers down his stomach again. Damon's hands found their way onto her stomach and began inching up her pajama top while his kisses trailed onto her neck and collarbone and then lower. Elena closed her eyes at the sudden warm touches that were sending her flying. He lifted her top to kiss her bellybutton and then blew into it slightly before finding his way back up to her lips where they stayed for what felt like forever.

Elena was lost in him, and that's where she wanted to stay, Damon's strong arms moved them over the bed until Damon had kissed every inch of Elena's skin that was available to him, when he laid on his stomach Elena trailed kisses all along his spine before wrapping her arms around him and kissing his neck from behind. If he'd been human he'd have hickeys all along his neck and collarbone to match hers.

The need to be close to him, to have his skin searing hers was unbelievable, it was intoxicating and Elena couldn't get enough of Damon, but much to her dismay he made her stop. She was sitting in his lap with her legs wrapped around him, sitting so closely that she could feel his arousal against her thigh. His arms were around her, one hand placed gently at the back of her neck, he was kissing that precious spot behind her ear when he pulled back. Elena's breathing hitched from the separation and the need for his touch, even though her lips were a little sore and swollen.

"Elena we have to stop." His voice was raspy and thick, lustful Elena thought. She had no intention of letting him stop if she could.

"Why?" It was a whimper as she leaned into him, wanting to be encased in his arms and the warmth that he gave her. Damon chuckled and pulled back a bit to look her in the eye, when she looked into his blue eyes she saw how bright they were and she wondered what could possibly make him want to stop now?

"Elena if I take you, I have to have _all of you_." The gravity of his words made her shiver in anticipation, she wanted him more than anything in this world. "And you're not completely healed yet, you're not supposed to be straining your body at all." Elena took a deep breath then, partly to recollect herself from this mushy mess she'd become and partially because he was right. She had never been more mad at Stefan as she was now. She banished the reason for her pain out of her mind and focused on the beautiful man that she was currently sitting on.

"When I get a green light from my doctor-" Elena started, moving her face dangerously close to his again, his eyebrows shot up curiously and she gave him a look from beneath thick lashes. "You and I are never leaving this bed."

"You shouldn't say things like that to a vampire. They'll take you seriously." He spoke softly into her lips and was about kiss her before she moved up and out of his lap. She was standing next to the bed now as he gave her the most shell-shocked look in the world, she grinned at him. It was payback for the passionate kisses that he always ended prematurely. She knew the heat he was craving from her touch right now, and how aroused she'd made him only to deprive him of what he wanted most but in all honesty, he had started it first. When Damon looked slightly more agreeable Elena looked at the clock and considered a few things. "What are you thinking?" he asked her, noticing her mood as he stood up and picked up his shirt. Elena frowned more severely at the shirt than anything else, she decided that she and that shirt were going to become enemies for life, and the shirt was most definitely going to lose.

"If I should go to school or not." Damon looked surprised but only for a moment as he considered the possibility, Elena saw the flash of worry pass over his face and knew that he was wondering how he could protect her without looking like some creep hovering in the school halls.

"Don't you have a doctor's appointment today?" Elena rolled her eyes and realized that he'd decided entirely against the idea of going to school.

"No that's tomorrow morning. I'll be fine Damon; Caroline, Jeremy, Bonnie and Alaric will _all _be there." He still looked unhappy at the idea of her being there and Elena wondered why, he'd never been so untrustworthy of the other's abilities to protect her or the security of the school. "Damon what aren't you telling me?" Damon looked at her with that frown on his face that indicated he wasn't sure if it was a good idea to tell her. Elena hated it more when he was keeping things from her, she was sick of having to be protected. That really had to end at some point. Elena had a plan in place for that, but she needed Damon to help her complete it, and he wasn't at all being compliant.

"Stefan's been hovering around the school."

"What?" She felt a string of fear lunge at her and any warmth that Damon had brought her only seconds ago was washing away to be replaced with a wave of cool air. She was suddenly very afraid of going to school. She thought for a second of how ridiculous that was, it was _her _school, with _her _friends and now she was scared to go anywhere near it and it was all because of fucking Stefan. How could he do this to her? She felt haunted by his memory, the good and the bad. This was so awful, she had been through so much, car accidents, kidnappings, and doppleganger spells, but never had she felt this terrified from the creatures that had been hunting her from the beginning. "The bastard." The word had escaped her mouth before she even thought about it but now that it was out, it felt right.

"That asshole!" Elena _never _swore, at least not out loud, but she was so angry at Stefan for making her this scared, and scared of _him_. He had lied to her and led her on, and worst of all he had made her fall in love with him and then he'd hurt her. Hurt her so badly she couldn't have what she wanted now, she couldn't feel right, she was damaged goods, and it was _his _fault.

Damon looked surprised but slightly amused at her anger and frustration at his little brother. He let her rave and rant for as long as she needed to, and Elena needed to desperately. She swore and ranted about his lies and betrayal for a good ten minutes with tears pricking the back of her eyes before they finally escaped her, they were more out of anger than fear but the fear was there too and Damon was there to catch her when it struck her.

When she had calmed down a bit Damon was holding her, she wasn't crying, just seething with anger and frustration, leaning her head against his chest and trying very hard to calm her thoughts and think soothing things, she decided that Damon's lips were a good thing, but then that led to dangerous wishful thinking and she was grateful when he interrupted her train of thought. He broke contact with her for only a second to take something out of his pocket.

"I have something for you." His voice was calming and straightforward as he held a bracelet dangling from his hand and glimmering in the light. The silver band was made in four rows of silver rings that were attached to each other as if they were woven together, the only colour in it was the round polished Lapis Lazuli that was set in the silver studded clasp.

Damon took the bracelet in both hands and showed her that the clasp doubled as a pendant in which he had placed some vervein before putting it around her wrist. Elena had never seen anything that looked so delicate and yet she was sure there was no way to get it off her wrist without undoing the clasp. The round stone sat perfectly on her wrist and the bracelet fitted her as if it had been made for her.

"Bonnie put a spell on it, binding it to you so no one can take it from you forcefully." Elena smiled feeling reassured at the sense that she had people looking out for her but still feeling incredibly fragile and hopeless. She hated this, when had she become the victim in all this?

* * *

"We can't get Caroline to do it, she was the one to trick Katherine last time, she'll see right through it." Bonnie had recommenced her usual work of pointing out every weakness in their plan.

"Yeah but who else could handle it? There's not a single one of us that Katherine would believe." Jeremy added, he himself seemed to be getting annoyed by her pessimism.

"We can't do it the exact same way as last time. Bonnie's right, but this time we're not tricking Katherine, we're using her as bait. Katherine just can't know the details of the plan." Ric, always the peace-keeper Damon thought with a smirk on his face.

"Right, so. We tell her part of the plan, leaving out the part that Stefan is trying to kill her." Damon stated what -to him- had always been the obvious thing to do.

"Yeah about that; do we know why he wants to do that?" Caroline asked in her usual sing-song voice.

"The best explanation we can think of is that he's either hopped up on blood or that he's been compelled." Elena spoke up softly from where she'd been sitting in complete silence for most of this meeting. She'd been watching everything very carefully with those dark eyes that Damon was having a hard time reading tonight. Damon saw Caroline frown then, taking in Elena's words, the idea of another one of the originals being in town was disconcerting to all of them, most of all the vampires in the room and Elena. They were all silent for a moment before Caroline turned her frowning face to Bonnie again.

"What do we do if the spell doesn't work?"

"We kill him." Alaric was the one to say it, and although Damon agreed he felt himself cringe at the thought of having to kill Stefan. And the task would undoubtedly fall to him if the spell didn't work. Damon refused to let on that he was hesitant about this, looking at Elena he felt the stiffening determination to protect her. Even from Stefan.

"If _anything _goes wrong, you make sure you protect Elena." Damon's words were directed at all of them but they lingered on Caroline and Bonnie, he didn't really need to tell them. He knew that being her best friends they would never let any harm come to her but Caroline was the only other vampire in their little group and Bonnie was steadily becoming a powerful little witch. And they knew that what Damon meant by 'if something went wrong' was if he wasn't around to protect Elena. He would die before he let anything harm her and for a second he caught a smoldering glare from the woman he loved before she settled her dark eyes on Bonnie.

Tomorrow was the night then, it was Damon's responsibility to talk Katherine into going disguised as Elena to draw Stefan out. And for all Katherine knew, Bonnie was going to do a spell to undo whatever had been done to Stefan. It wasn't a bulletproof plan, like all the plans before, but -like all the times before- Damon hoped they could roll with the punches and come out alive, if a little worse for wear.

* * *

When Damon came back into the living room from getting himself a bag of blood he had expected to find it empty of all his guests but instead he found Elena standing in front of the burning fireplace, her arms were crossed, Damon recognized that stance and knew he was about to get chewed out for something he'd said that didn't sit well with her.

She turned around when she heard him set his glass down on the table and she shot him a very serious look, he could tell that she was resolved and set to stand her ground no matter what he said. She was setting herself up to fight him on something.

"Damon, I know that I promised you I would wait with this." Damon felt himself grow angry at the thought that she was bringing this up again. He had hoped she would realize her foolishness in trying to become a vampire, it wouldn't solve a thing, just make her another vampire with serious issues. "Don't look at me like that Damon."

"Like what Elena?" He spat at her, he was angry. And he wasn't going to hide it, it wasn't even about her humanity, at least not completely. "Like you're giving up?"

"I am _not _giving up." She hissed at him, he could see the anger welling up in her just as strongly as it was in him. Both of them were facing each other with stubborn looks that wouldn't relent to each other, her hot eyes were being directly countered by his cold ones and he wasn't sure how they would ever find middle ground on this because he sure as hell wasn't going to budge. "I am deciding to fight, on my own strength. I'm tired of being forced to cower behind all of you people who are so willing to sacrifice yourselves for me."

"Turning into a vampire isn't fighting Elena, it's running, it's fleeing from your problems." Damon was speaking in low tones to her but he couldn't hide the resentment in his voice at being pushed into having this conversation with her. It definitely wasn't what he wanted to talk about the night before he was supposed go out and banish his little brother from his life. "You're trying to run and call it heroism, it's not heroic or strategic, it's just cowardice!" Damon found himself trying very hard to keep his anger in check, Elena was mad as hell, he could see the fury welling up in her eyes, but calling her a coward was gnawing at her determined resolve and causing it to crumble and now he felt like a bully but he had to drive the point home. He needed to get through to her.

"Damon I'm tired of being petted and passed over like I'm some china doll. I need to be able to fight this, I need-" she sounded nearly desperate now and Damon understood what she was pleading for but turning her into a vampire wouldn't give her the strength and control she so desperately required.

"Turning into a vampire won't make things better Elena. You're life would never be the same, your friends and family will wither and die and that's if Klaus doesn't decide to punish you the same way he did Katherine. And then you'll be left with nothing but an eternity to run for your life and regret your decisions. I won't let you make that mistake Elena."

"You won't let me?" Damn him, he had said the wrong thing again and now he was back to square one. She was glaring at him again, but he knew he had gotten to her, even though she was perhaps more angry with him now than before. "When did you get to make decisions for me?" She moved closer to him again, testing his own resolve with her furiously dark eyes. He could feel his fangs itching to drop and the hunger and desire trying to force their way onto his face. She shoved him then, looking more angry than he'd ever seen her. Damon realized much too late that she felt the need to be in control of her life, and the situation, she had been victimized and preyed upon one too many times and it was infuriating her like none other.

"I am not a piece of property!" He saw the adrenaline of her anger coarse through her as she tried to string the words together to spell out her confusion and frustration at him. The anger in her was wound so closely to her fear of so much uncertainty and her love for her friends that she was bursting to the brim with tears. He kissed her then, feeling her anger searing through her and forcing hot tears down her cheeks, she pulled back only for a moment as she gasped for air. Her anger hadn't fully dissipated yet but she wrapped her arms around his neck as he kissed her softer this time.

"Damn you, Damon Salvatore." She whispered into his ear as he lifted her up and took her to his bedroom.

* * *

They never made it to the bed, Elena found herself laying on the hardwood floors with Damon above her, their lips meeting in ragged breaths and whispers as Elena tore his shirt and sent little buttons scurrying across the floor. Her top and bra disappeared faster than she'd even realized and Elena was still angry as she dug her nails into Damon's back and he growled before his lips interlocked with hers and he pinned her hands down to the ground. He kissed her jawline and her neck and her breasts, getting rid of her bra without her even realizing it, her jeans had disappeared somewhere on the way to the bedroom and when she heard a tearing sound Damon had done away with her panties too. "Oh God Damon." She cried out louder than she had intended as his lips caressed her thighs and her exposed sex.

She couldn't allow him to take control over her though, not again, too many things were out of her hands but this. This she could control, this moment could be all hers. When she angled herself to turn over Damon let her, he didn't struggle or complain he just rolled over onto his back and waited anxiously for her touch. Elena had never felt so grateful for him, his silent understanding of her meant more than he would ever know. Elena thought that she would feel exposed and embarrassed under Damon's experienced gaze but the look he gave her was so loving it made her want to cry. Instead she leaned onto him as she kissed him more sensually, and deeply than they ever had before. Her mind was reeling as his hands were gently scanning her bare skin and she was straddling him, feeling the hard length of him between her thighs. She reached down and very gently ran her fingers along him, causing him to shiver and gasp for an unnecessary breath before she lowered her kisses steadily down his toned stomach, making her way further south before; "Fuck Elena!"

Elena grinned but then gasped as he pulled her up to return the touch, cupping her breast in his hand and brushed his fingertips over the very sensitive nipple. The tears stopped flowing from her eyes as Damon gave her that look again, the love and warmth that poured from his eyes made her beam in admiration and love for him. He sat her up then, holding her tightly to him, their legs wrapped around each other as he kissed her softly this time and holding her tightly against him. Her hands found their way into his dark hair as the kiss grew lustful again and Elena positioned herself against Damon. She felt his teeth nipping at the curve of her neck but instead of biting her, he kissed that spot behind her ear that she loved so much as he pushed into her and Elena thought she might lose it. "God you're so tight." Elena would have grabbed onto sheets if there had been any close by, but she only had Damon to hold onto and so she dug her nails into his shoulders as she screamed at the suddenness of being filled by him. Desperately trying to get used to the size of Damon, she let out a breath she didn't realize she'd been holding and whispered hotly into his ear.

"Damon move." It was a demand but it seemed to suit Damon just fine as he slid in and out of her at a painfully slow pace, he was studying her face with a worried look afraid of hurting her or putting any strain on her body but Elena met his gaze, the way they were sitting made it seem like they were sharing the same breath. "I love you." She saw the worry fall away from him as involuntary moans and cries escaped her lips and she leaned back a bit. She steadily began to meet his thrusts, moving her hips into him as he took her body over and over again.

Damon changed them around positioning himself above her while placing fast feathery kisses all over her face and neck, faster than she could register and making her body heat up all the way down through her legs and toes. "I love you. I love you." The whispers followed almost ever kiss. She felt her skin searing and it made her want to roll her eyes back into her head, but she was fighting to keep eye contact with him, desperate to feel connected to him. She wanted to respond to him but all words were lost in a tumble of moans and the most erotic groans that started to come from Damon as her inner walls tightened around him.

"Elena!" He groaned, moving faster now, giving in to thrusting into the warmth of Elena's body and showing no restraint at all. She met him, thrust for thrust and Damon thought he would black out, he held onto her for dear life, never wanting to let go of her. He locked onto her eyes encasing her in his protective arms and deliberately focused on being inside of her as he pulled her back up into a sitting position and pushed away the need for her blood. Their limbs were entangled and Elena never took her eyes off Damon. He had never felt so exposed, and never in his life had he felt so loved by one thing.

"Oh Damon, please right there." He thrust harder and faster then, feeling exactly where to push her and she screamed as she came and she tightened around him with each wave of her orgasm, pushing him to come right after her. Pouring himself into her as he held her tightly against his chest and breathed in the scent of her arousal and her perfume.

* * *

They both shook, trying to calm themselves from the exertion, when Damon slid out of her and pulled them both down to lay down on the floor, Elena almost cried out from the loss of him but Damon showered her with those feather light kisses again before finding her lips and pressing his very softly to her already swollen lips.

"Damon I love you." Words had finally returned to the two of them but Damon was already fighting sleep in his blissful state, he couldn't believe this happiness. He couldn't believe that he would ever truly know what it felt like to be loved, so truly and genuinely. To have grace in his life.

"I love you, Elena. Always, I love you." He whispered as he held her tightly to him and felt her eyelashes flutter against his skin and close, as her heartbeat steadied and then slowed down as she slept.

* * *

Elena closed her eyes, he had no idea the gravity of his words. He was saying always, but he wouldn't let her have always. He would let her have the version that _he _thought was right, that he thought would protect her. But she realized now that what she wanted more than anything was _him. _He was what was right for her, he was her perfect fit. They heard each other across the silence and he reached into a part of her that she hadn't known existed before. And he would sacrifice himself for that, for love of her. She had to protect that at the very least, she had to protect them.

Elena made up her mind a long time ago; she was done being the victim, done being hopeless. But now she had something much more precious to protect and Damon couldn't do it alone anymore. He shouldn't have to. She was going to see Katherine.

* * *

_This was a crazy intense chapter, most particularly the last part as I'm sure you've noticed. Very difficult to write smut scenes without sounding like a one of those trashy romance novels lol... anyway I hope it lived up to your expectations._

_Sorry to leave you on a cliffhanger again... I'm a sucker for dramatic endings, but no worries, I think i'm only going to do one more chapter after this..._

_Thanks again to everyone who has been following this story, be sure to let me know what you think..._

_Oh and if you want to see what I took the image of Elena's Bracelet from you can go to -_ .com/ _you can just scroll down and find what they call "Diamond Mesh with Lapis Lazuli" I imagined Damon to have very expensive but delicate taste in jewelry. _


	6. Apologize

Damon didn't feel right about this. Something wasn't quite right, there was a voice in the back of his head telling him that he'd missed something. The fact that the taunting voice in his head sounded like Katherine's long teasing drawls wasn't helping his usually confident resolve at all either. Something about tonight was all off, he clenched his jaw and frowned as he stood in the foyer with Alaric and Jeremy waiting for Bonnie and Caroline, and Jenna.

"I don't think I'm ever going to get used to these parties." Alaric tugged at his bow-tie, looking slightly awkward in the tuxedo, with his usually scraggly hair and unshaven face he didn't look like someone who belonged with Mystic Falls high society. He was indeed a plus-one.

"Well, they've become profoundly more interesting since Damon and Stefan came to town." Jeremy chuckled nervously, he hated these things more than most people, for a reason that Damon could completely comprehend. They were a cesspool of disingenuous people who only came together so they could stroke their egos and believe that they were better than everyone else present because they came from old blood.

"I still hate tuxedos though." Alaric complained, tugging at the bow-tie again and feeling a bit more relaxed.

"Yeah, you shouldn't have gone with the white shirt and tie though." Jeremy gave a knowing smirk as they heard doors open upstairs and they all turned their heads up to the Gilbert staircase.

"Why?" Alaric looked at Damon and Jeremy who were both clad completely in black tuxedos that hugged their frames and accentuated their height.

"Bloodstains." Damon and Jeremy stated at the same time. Jeremy grinned from ear to ear when Bonnie and Caroline came down first, clad in very light pink and red ballgowns, respectively. Bonnie's looked like a princess gown, with a tulle skirt that came down to just above her ankles. Damon could tell that she had chosen it because it was comfortable and easy to run in if she had to. She could discard her shoes and do what was necessary without worrying about tripping over anything. Caroline's red dress was just very Caroline, there were no other words to describe the flowing goddess gown that was wrapped around her creamy skin with gold bands or ribbons or something like that. It looked like the ribbons were the only thing really keeping the gold bands in place and Damon smirked at her, shaking his head. If she'd worn that in 1864 she'd be forever reduced as a harlot.

When Jenna came down everyone in the room, including Damon did a double take, he wasn't surprised to see Elena popping her head out from behind the corner, taking in their surprised looks with a smirk. Jenna's look was clearly Elena's handy work, he couldn't see Jenna picking out her ensemble by herself. The black dress she was wearing had a strapless plunging sweetheart necklace that looked like it was held up by nothing at all, it drew attention to her beautiful slim neck and face, and of course her breasts were brought to everyone's attention, even Jeremy seemed to be frowning at the image of his aunt put on such a display.

She was wearing diamond earrings that dangled and drew even more attention to her neck, even Damon was astounded at the image that Jenna was before him. She was a beautiful woman, but this. He hadn't ever seen her like this. Alaric was completely lost for words as his girlfriend sauntered down the staircase, hardly noticing the effect she was having on everyone and more worried about stepping on the hem of her gown and walking in those heels. Damon was happy to see that she was still a bookworm.

"Jeez aunt Jenna we should've used _you _as bait." Jeremy said disgruntled only to be met with smacks from Bonnie and Caroline. Jenna blushed and looked a bit embarrassed as she looked over her ensemble again.

"Ignore _wonderboy _Jenna, you look great." Damon gave her a smile before giving Alaric a hard pat on the shoulder to prompt him. When Ric finally shot into action Damon moved past Jenna and headed up the stairs for his own girlfriend, who was waiting behind a corner. She had a knowing smile on her face and she pulled him in for a kiss before he knew what was happening. She had hold of the lapels of his jacket and moaned very quietly into the kiss as his tongue caressed hers. The sounds she was making shouldn't be allowed, they were driving Damon up the wall with desire for her.

"I should wear a tux more often." He grinned at her as he gently pulled away so she could come up for air. Elena shook her head though and frowned.

"No, you should get rid of the tux all together." She looked at him seriously, her lips making that irresistible pout.

"I don't think Mrs. Lockwood would appreciate that." He mused but Elena rolled her eyes, she still hadn't let go of his jacket.

"Hmm, I think she would appreciate it too much." Elena said and pulled him in for a softer kiss as she wrapped her arms around his neck and then nuzzled her head under his chin. He held her for a moment. That feeling that he was missing something was gnawing at the back of his head more furiously, the mocking voice telling him that he was about to screw up because of some small detail.

He cupped Elena's cheek in his hand, as he pulled out of her embrace, already missing her warmth. "Promise me you'll stay put. Bonnie put spells on the house so once we lock the door, nothing can come in. Don't do anything stupid please?" Elena smiled nodding and stood on her toes to kiss him and Damon was beginning to wonder whether it would have been safer to do a spell to keep Elena in, instead of other things out.

* * *

"Aw how sweet." Katherine's voice drawled from the hallway and both Elena and Damon turned to look at the person who was so blatantly intruding on this moment. Katherine was wearing a champagne colour dress that wrapped around her waist and had only one strap and a thigh slit. Her hair was pulled back into a long slick ponytail and her make-up was done in nudes and greys, similar to what Elena would have done. If it weren't for the look Katherine was giving them -that smug, defiant look- she could have easily passed for Elena. Elena frowned at this, it was always disconcerting to look at Katherine, as if she were a long lost evil twin that Elena couldn't deal with.

"Took you long enough to get here." Damon said, Elena could feel the aggravation running off him, and Katherine looked from him to Elena who was still in his arms. She lingered on Elena for a moment too long with a knowing look in her face before she turned to Damon. Elena prayed that Damon hadn't noticed it.

"Perfection takes work Damon. It's a pity everyone will think I'm _her_." She said with a sense of disdain in her voice. Damon just grumbled before placing a kiss on Elena's cheek and then turning to look at Katherine. Katherine moved right behind him as they went down the stairs but she winked at Elena before taking the steps down to the front door. Elena didn't want to know what Katherine was thinking, the woman was freakishly addicted to plots and intrigue, Elena had considered this very carefully before going to talk to Katherine, but her love for Damon, and her family overrode all of it. She had a plan though, she would keep her promise to Damon, nothing stupid or irrational. But she did have plan.

For now though she had to keep her mind off the fact that Damon was endangering himself once again for her sake. She hated this more than usual, not only was she the victim here and was she once again, unable to help, she was being forced to stay home and wait for news from them. She felt like she was sending her friends off to war and it wasn't right. When was it ever? She never thought that this would happen, not with Stefan. He had once vowed to keep her safe too, promised that he would protect her with his life, he had lied to her in the worst way. She understood how Bonnie wondered why Elena would trust Damon and not Stefan but they were so different. They had both promised her the same things, but Damon had never lied to her, not about who or what he was. He'd always told her that he was dangerous and dark, even that he thought he wasn't good enough for her, she could see past Damon.

Stefan had kept up such lie, for such a long time that when it came out no one had ever expected it, except maybe Damon. There was something about the way that he was handling this that made her think that he had been anticipating it, and that he'd seen it before. Elena shrugged the thought from her and followed the group downstairs, she saw Bonnie and Caroline eyeing Katherine carefully, and Elena knew that her friends were scrutinizing her every move, as if they would pick out the difference between the two. As if there were any.

She didn't realize how strange it would feel to watch them all squeeze through the doorway and onto the porch and finally into their cars. Jeremy and Bonnie were the last ones standing on the porch since Jeremy had to lock the door and Bonnie had to finish up the spell. It wasn't permanent of course, otherwise they would have done this sooner, but it would keep everything out of the house as long as Elena kept the door closed. Bonnie gave Elena a surprising, if not absolutely necessary, hug before she turned around and waited for Jeremy to lock the door.

Jeremy shot Elena a doubtful look that was beginning to unnerve her, they had all given her that look at some point this evening, as if leaving her alone would cause her to shrivel up and die. Elena rolled her eyes angrily at her little brother. "For crying out loud Jeremy, I'm not going to have a nervous breakdown!"

"That's not what I'm worried about, if you don't stay put this spell will be completely pointless."

"So?"

"So, you're the most antsy person I know." He gave her a wide-eyed look as if daring her to contradict him, Elena did have a problem with staying put in one place, she began to feel restless and confined but that was the last thing she needed to think about right now. She gave him an exasperated sigh and rolled her eyes at him as she went to close the door. Jeremy held a hand up and stopped her from slamming it, he held a finger up towards her face and looked at her seriously. "Now you be good, and you stay." Elena was about to smack him over the head for talking to her like she was a misbehaved puppy but he just grinned at the last minute and closed the door. The small click of the lock felt deafening to her as she realized that she was in every sense of the expression, left home alone.

* * *

Damon was always slightly impressed at how convincing Katherine was at playing Elena. She got it almost completely right, there were subtle differences though. Every now and then Katherine would flick her hair or give someone that smoldering seductive look that Elena wouldn't be caught dead trying. Being around Katherine made Damon pine for Elena as if he was being split from her forever, and then there was that droning voice at the back of his head that was bugging him incessantly, and every time it did, Katherine just seemed to be turning to look at him to drive the point home. They were halfway through the night when Sheriff Forbes came to stand next to him.

"Sheriff Forbes!" Damon had to do a double take, Sheriff Forbes usually wore the same black cocktail dress to all of these functions but Damon guessed that since this was most definitely a more fancy event, Caroline would have forced her mother into something more appropriate. This however, was impressive. She was wearing a green dress that had bronze embellishments in the collar and straps and hugged her waist as if it were wrapped around her in multiple layers. It showed off her figure, which was actually quite stunning and then fell down her legs. She still wore it short though, it wasn't long and flowy like almost everyone else's and Damon gave her one of his crooked smiles because of it. He liked the Sheriff, despite being a descendant of one of the old founding families, she was very much her own person and how no misgivings about being better than anyone else.

She blushed under his scrutiny and Damon just flashed her another grin before turning to look back to where Katherine was eyeing some young redheaded girl with a clear sense of disdain. That was not very 'Elena' of her.

"Who's the new addition?"

"Her name's Meredith- something." Sheriff Forbes shrugged her slim white shoulders that seemed very exposed. "She's a new student, Carole Lockwood invited her and her parents-who didn't come- over to be welcoming"

Damon snorted. "And to show off the Lockwood estate." None of the other founding families were so flaunting of their heritage or wealth, including Damon and Stefan. They had rarely had people over to the boarding house, except for the obvious few who were in on the whole supernatural thing. Sheriff Forbes shook her head and downed her champagne, Damon raised his eyes at her in surprise, he didn't think he'd ever seen her drink.

"Her husband's dead, her son ran away, and her brother-in-law is missing. What woman in her right mind, goes; 'hmm, I think I'll throw a party'?" Sheriff Forbes mused in a very good imitation of Carole Lockwood in all her glory. Damon chuckled but the Sheriff just shook her head again, Damon knew that she'd grown up with most of the people present, and their numbers seemed to be dwindling.

"People do strange things when they're lonely Liz." Damon pointed out trying to reassure the woman who had in a strange way become somewhat of a friend.

"Anyway, how have you been? Haven't spoken to you in a while."

"I'm good."

"Really? You've been frowning incessantly since you got here." She pointed out and raised her eyebrows at him.

"I'm just waiting for Stefan to get here." Damon didn't think there was any reason to lie to her, she would see Stefan here, and later tonight she would probably see him leave in a hurry. If the spell worked that was.

"He's back?"

"Oh yeah and he's been- acting out lately. Ever since the _accident_." Damon made sure to choose his words carefully; the accident is what they had begun to call Elena's attack in town since no one wanted to imagine anything so horrid as an attack on one of Mystic Falls' promising young inhabitants.

"Anything serious?" She asked but Damon knew she wouldn't press the issue, the thing about lying was not to seem overeager to share information. Damon gave her a look that told her he didn't really care for Stefan's behaviour but it was manageable.

"Normal teenager stuff I guess." Damon frowned now though, it most definitely was not. But even if it was, Stefan being over a century old should be ashamed of himself. "Sneaking into the liquor, doing stupid things."

"I've been there with Caroline." She added emphatically, they moved a bit to keep an eye on Caroline and the fake Elena.

"I'm seriously thinking of just sending him to boarding school." Liz was silent at that and they both straightened up when Jenna and Rick moved towards them. Liz said hello but Damon was grateful when she was pulled away, they stood for a moment frowning as Caroline and Bonnie and Katherine were doing their best to look inconspicuous around this new girl who seemed to be chattering quite a bit.

"New student Rick?" Damon asked with a bit of a smirk as they all took in the girl with red curly hair.

"Yeah Meredith Crowley, smart kid. Bit loud though." Rick looked tired already, and incredibly uncomfortable in the tuxedo. All three of them took champagne glasses as they floated past them on a tray and they all downed it in a few moments. Damon wasn't sure what he would think when he got the text from Jeremy that would say Stefan had arrived. But when it happened Damon was surprised that he felt disappointed, part of him would have been relieved at Stefan just not showing up, leaving them all alone, but now he was being forced to face his little brother and make him pay.

* * *

Elena was just about to catch up on her missed episodes of 'The Tudors', she had made herself some popcorn and poured herself a large glass of diet coke so she wouldn't have to get up in between scenes when her phone began to ring. She frowned as she saw the little devise buzzing on the coffee table, if that was Damon or Bonnie, they had worked really fast. Or something was wrong. Elena lunged for the phone quickly hoping that nothing was wrong, it wasn't Damon or Bonnie, some strange number she didn't recognize and for a moment she wondered if it was a wrong number and she should just leave it. But then what if it _was _one of her friends and something _was _wrong and that was why they were using the mystery phone?

"Hello?"

"Hello Elena." Elena felt surprised at the woman's voice, it sounded slightly high pitched but there was something off in her voice.

"Who is this?"

"_I'm the person who's going to kill your family._" The voice said it as if it was the most obvious thing in the world and Elena should have seen this coming. Fear overcame her and she started blurting out questions that didn't matter.

"What? Who is this?"

"_Hmm... worried are we?_"

"Why are you doing this?" Elena composed herself, as long as the person was on the phone with her, they couldn't be doing much damage right? Better keep her talking, maybe she could do something.

"_Ah that's a smarter question. Doesn't matter why though, they're all going to die. The funny part is, they're doing it voluntarily_. _I haven't quite decided the 'how' yet, maybe I sick dear old Stefan on them. He's a very good dog you know_" The woman giggled on the other end of the phone and Elena felt herself shaking in anger and fear. So Stefan was being compelled, it didn't make a difference though, Elena didn't think she could look him in the eye after everything that had happened, he had hurt her too badly, in too many ways.

"Please don't hurt them. What do you want?"

"_I want __**you**__, Elena Gilbert. Just you._" She drawled in a sing-song voice, it was a very pitchy voice, sounded like a girl more than a woman. Elena wondered who could possibly be threatening her like this, there were a few people of course, but she had thought they would sound bigger and scarier. "_I'm not easily fooled, the cheap knock-off your friends brought simply won't do. I want you. So here's what's going to happen-_" So she was at the party, Elena began reasoning ideas into her mind of just warning Damon that the person responsible for all this was a woman with a high pitched voice, but that could still be anyone.

"Why the hell should I do what you want?"

"_You interrupt me again, and I'll have Jenna dead on the floor before you can say Jack Daniels._" Elena suppressed the urge to scream and listened carefully.

* * *

Elena still wasn't entirely sure why she was doing this, her hand hovering over the door handle she considered how the threat could simply be a trap to get her out of the house, she could be attacked on the way to the party instead of at the party, hell she could be attacked in her own driveway. But the thought of her family getting hurt, any of them. Jeremy, or Bonnie and Caroline. She swallowed back her tears at the thought of anything happening to Damon and her hand found the cool iron handle before she turned it and opened the door. The air was cold against her exposed skin and she shuddered only for a moment before making her way across the porch and into her car. There was really no going back now, she was completely exposed, God Damon would kill her for this. But at least she wasn't completely unprepared.

* * *

The vervein they'd slipped Stefan had worked, Katherine had managed to get close enough to administer it to him before Caroline had dragged him into the Lockwood's study and dropped him down on the floor. They had almost been caught as Liz Forbes came running up to Caroline, worried about the state of Stefan, Damon had been forced to intervene on behalf of them and claim that Stefan was drunk off his mind and he would deal with him. Liz had given him the most understanding look possible and then she had even closed the door behind him before returning back to the party. The room was sealed, which meant that Damon, Stefan and Caroline were officially locked in and stuck here until Bonnie undid the spell. Katherine was watching them unimpressed from the threshold, not budging, she'd been locked in one of these spells one too many times.

Caroline didn't waste any time, slapping Stefan across the cheek somewhat lazily and frowning when he only grumbled. He wasn't exactly tied to anything but Damon knew from experience that the vervein would make him very groggy for awhile, and it wasn't like he was going anywhere anyway. Damon had no doubt in his mind that he could take Stefan and hold him down if it was necessary. They only needed to keep him mellow for as long as the spell took, and Caroline was always here to back him up.

Caroline smacked his little brother harder this time and Stefan's eyes shot open, he did look drunk. If Sheriff Forbes had walked in she wouldn't be able to tell the difference. Stefan scanned the room with a groggy look on his face that bugged Damon before his green eyes settled on Katherine and his mouth dropped open slightly. "Katherine?" He got up slowly and unsteadily walking towards her but then being stopped by the invisible barrier that Bonnie had created. He turned his head then and looked at Damon and Caroline, a vicious look in his eyes that no one but Damon could possibly recognize.

"What did you do?"

"What did _I _do?" Damon repeated the question incredulously and gave Stefan that vehement glare that seemed only reserved for those he truly hated. "You pathetic runt."

"You think you can keep me from her?" It was Damon's turn to laugh then, it was a bursting, involuntary laugh and Stefan looked surprised, Caroline's eyes widened in shock. No one had expected Damon to _laugh. _He didn't care about Katherine who was now daring to look slightly hurt, understanding what Damon's laugh meant exactly. Damon felt Stefan's hands grab the lapels of his jacket and the two of them flew up against the wall, Damon didn't hesitate to hit his brother in the face. It was about time Stefan was taught a lesson.

With the blow though, something seemed to slide loose in Stefan, he became wild and erratic, his fighting was instinctual, none of it was what he had learned over the past century, Damon knew that Stefan knew how to fight, how to box. How to be fast and agile, but right now he was none of those things, he was running completely on instinct, more like an animal than anything else, but he was incredibly effective. Whatever hits he got in he made them count, and even though Damon would say that it was reasonably equal, Damon was beginning to _feel _the pain. Damon hadn't felt physical pain in a while, not unless it was caused by an original or a vampire significantly older than him.

Which reminded him. Damon reached up to Stefan's face and stuck his fingers deep into his brother's eyes. The vampire image disappeared almost instantly as Stefan cried out in pain, the eyes wold grow back in a matter of hours but Damon had mostly done it because it would prove very effective in keeping Stefan awake but incapacitated for the time being. Bonnie could do her spell, and Stefan would be relatively docile, and manageable until then.

"Was that really necessary Damon?" Katherine glared at him from the doorway, she hadn't moved an inch from where she was standing and Caroline had a stunned look on her face, as she straightened out the broken fingers she'd gotten from briefly trying to intervene between Damon and Stefan.

"Yes!" Damon snapped at Katherine. Where the hell was Bonnie anyway?

* * *

Elena rushed up the steps of Mrs. Lockwood's house, she'd grown up playing with Tyler and Caroline in this house, she'd been to dozens of these events, she knew exactly what door to slip into so she went unnoticed and she wouldn't draw attention to the fact that there were two of her.

Elena was wearing white, perfectly crisp white, she didn't understand why it had been necessary for her to get changed into evening-wear; if this 'person' wanted to kill her what did it matter what she was wearing? But she had said that Elena had to take the time to get changed and come to the party, and so Elena was wearing white. It was a floor-length gown with a ruched halter top, the sheer straps and empire waist band had been detailed with beads so carefully that it only hinted at Elena's bare skin beneath it. The round neckline came up quite high around her neck but her back was almost completely bare, save the straps that crossed between her shoulder blades. The skirt was light and flowing, and most importantly it had pockets that were nearly invisible unless Elena stuck her hands in them.

Elena's heart was beating intensely fast as she made her way through the back door and into the kitchen, she knew that the caterers would be there, and none of them took any notice of one of the guests wandering off to the back of the house, they probably thought she was out having a smoke or something. When she made her way into the hallway Elena nearly choked at the sight of all these people, it would be impossible to remain inconspicuous around all these people that knew her and had probably already chatted to Katherine. Elena tried to stick to the walls and remain out of sight but she suddenly felt a hand grip her elbow hard and was being forced to turn around.

"Katherine, you should be in the study, in case Damon needs your help with Stefan." Thank God for Alaric's obliviousness. Elena sighed in relief and gave him a smug look that she thought Katherine might.

"I was just on my way over." She said, drawling her words out in what she hoped was a good imitation of Katherine and she walked away from him just as she saw Jenna make her way back over to him. She needed to get to the study before Jenna told Ric that it was her and not Katherine and they sounded the alarm. She needed to get to her friends, she wasn't exactly sure what she would do once she got to the study, probably warn Damon that Stefan wasn't entirely responsible for the attack. Scratch that, he wasn't responsible at all, he was being manipulated but the more important thing was that the vampire compelling him was present and watching them, well aware of what they were trying to do and ready to kill. All of them if she didn't get what she wanted.

Elena was just about to turn a corner into the hallway that led to the study when someone intercepted her, someone she didn't know. There were bright emerald green cat-like eyes staring her down and there was an awful smirk spread across the girl's face.

"Elena, you came."

* * *

"Where the hell have you been?" Damon asked furiously at Bonnie as she came into the room, there was a frown spread across her face and Jeremy looked worried too.

"We've got a serious problem." The whizkid spoke and Damon turned his cold eyes on Jeremy.

"What are you talking about?"

"I can't do magic." Damon rolled his eyes and turned to look at Bonnie, if he'd been able to step out of this room he'd have given her a good shake.

"Bonnie now is not the time for one of your existential crises. We need you to work your mojo on Stefan." Damon said, staying away from the fact that they were actually banishing him from Mystic Falls.

"This isn't _my _fault" Bonnie retorted indignantly giving Damon a furious glare. "There's another witch who put a spell, I can't do any magic inside."

"She's fine outside though." Jeremy interjected, trying to make the situation somewhat hopeful, but it wasn't, Stefan, Damon and Caroline were all three stuck in this room, and couldn't be let out until Bonnie undid the spell. And she couldn't do the spell unless she was outside, and they couldn't get outside. Damon swore vigorously and felt like hitting something, this was all going wrong much faster than he'd thought. He hadn't thought that a witch would be behind it, an original maybe, or even just Stefan high on blood would explain it, but a witch.

Damon turned to Katherine and glared at her.

"Find the witch and deal with her." It was an order, and Damon could tell that she wanted to say no just to bug him but then she shot a look at Stefan who was cradling his head in his hands trying to soothe himself as his eyes grew back. Katherine disappeared then and Damon felt as if he could relax a bit.

"What's wrong with him?" Jeremy asked as he looked at Stefan who was now slowly blinking his very bloodshot eyes at the ground. Damon remembered that feeling, that the whole world was fuzzy, and then later when his sight came back to him everything was way too bright.

"I poked out his eyes. He's growing them back."

"Huh, you can do that?"

"If Katherine finds the witch can you handle her?"

"I would have already if I knew who she was."

"It can't be that hard, you guys know _everyone _here."

"No Mrs. Lockwood invited a whole bunch of other people, we have no idea who half these people are." Jeremy declared still somewhat distracted by Stefan's current state.

"We'll figure it out. You okay Caroline?" Bonnie said to Damon before straining to look past him to Caroline who was leaning against the far wall, arms crossed across her chest. She looked furious herself.

"Fine, just get me the hell out of here before I kill him."

"Damon?"

"No, Stefan." She said and shot her friends a cool look that said that she would too. Damon had no doubt that she would, as every moment went by, Stefan was going unpunished. It dawned on Damon now that if they didn't work out this whole witch thing he'd also be stuck in a room with his little brother who had hurt Elena. It had to end, either way Stefan had to be punished. Damon took a deep breath at that, why the hell was he being so hesitant about all of this?

* * *

Elena had lost all sense of free will as she was being pulled into one of the empty rooms that kept the founding family heirlooms. She didn't know what, but something had forced her into this room behind the girl and forced her to do it quietly, as if she was being tugged by some string that was attached to her insides, whenever she tried to fight it, she felt like she was going to be physically sick and she'd thought it best to just do what she was told. She kept telling herself that she would get out of this, one way or another. She always did.

"Why are you doing all this?" Elena decided to get right to the point, she might not be able to fight this girl, but she could at least try to figure out what the hell was going on, then maybe she could still get to her friends, Bonnie, Damon, anyone.

"Because Elena, I don't like you, or your friends." The girl sounded annoyed as she rounded on her, she was so small, Elena thought, if she were just human, she might actually be able to take her. But she wasn't, and Elena got the impression that she was actually pretty strong. "I'm sick and tired of hearing of Elena Gilbert and the Salvatore brothers, the three of you have been stirring up more than enough trouble for us."

"Us?"

"Yes us, you have no idea do you? You think that you and your little band of Mystic Falls superheroes are the only supernatural creatures in the world? Did you ever stop to think that pissing off the originals would create trouble for -Oh I don't know- Every supernatural creature that lives in this hemisphere. You're the freaking doppleganger, and all you ever do is draw attention to yourself. And after we all spent years, centuries trying to keep ourselves secret and hidden. It's stupid and you are ruining hundreds of years worth of work."

Elena's eyes widened at the girl, she had no idea the repercussions of all of this, but honestly how was she supposed to know, up until a year ago she'd had no idea of Katherine, or doppelgangers, or curses and vampires. She had been a completely normal human girl.

"You think that we do it deliberately? You think this is my fault."

"Don't be stupid. There are other things though that are your fault, and that's why I've been punishing you. You've brought enough pain to this world Elena Gilbert. I just wanted you to suffer before I killed you."

"What did you do to Stefan?" That's what she really wanted to know, maybe Bonnie could reverse the spell.

"That amulet was almost too easy. Most people have more willpower than that, the minute he wore it he turned against you so easily it made me wonder how much he cared in the first place." Elena felt she had what she needed but she still felt that tugging sensation in her gut and she knew she wouldn't be able to move from the place that she was rooted. She knew that the girl was trying to unnerve her by saying that Stefan didn't care about her, she didn't think that was really true, the betrayal still stung her like it had happened yesterday, the wounds were gone and the breaks had healed but she still felt it hit her right through her chest. She swallowed her sobs and ignored her breath hitching, focusing on Damon. Damon loved her, she clung to that, that was worth fighting for. She found herself grow steadier, and saw the girl grin at her, watching her with those cat like eyes.

"Oh yes, Damon Salvatore, I have a bone to pick with him too. But I think that killing you will get my point across to him." The girl said maniacally as if she could read Elena's mind.

"Don't you dare hurt him!" Elena shot it out of her mouth before she had a chance to think, she was furious at the thought of anyone hurting Damon. Her love for him was overpowering.

"That was fast Elena, moving from one brother to the next huh? Don't worry, I won't lay a finger on him, he'll get what he deserves. He and Stefan will have to bury you the same way I buried my friends."

"Your friends?"

"You stupid girl. You think that you and your friends can just start killing off other supernatural creatures without consequences? Murder is murder, whether you're human or not!" She spat at Elena and this whole picture reminded her too much of the situation with Lexi, when did this end? "I let Bree slide, I did. Because you know what, she was just being a bitter old bitch. But Jonas and Luka were good people and you killed them. You and _Damon!_"

"You don't have to do this."

"Oh but I do. You can't just go around killing people just so you can preserve this little set-up you have here. Your life isn't worth more than theirs."

"It won't bring them back." Elena shook her head but the girl just tilted her head her green eyes dazzling Elena when she heard a knocking at the door.

"No, but then that's not the point is it?" The girl leaned in closer to Elena to look her in the eye but Elena took the opportunity to reach into her pocket and pull out the iron pocket knife that had belonged to her dad. She stabbed the girl in the shoulder, feeling grateful that the Gilbert journals had been right and that witches really couldn't stand iron. The girl looked like she'd been blinded for a second, she didn't scream but she fell to the floor shaking. Elena took her stolen moment and ran.

* * *

"Give me one good reason not to kill him right now." Caroline was pacing around the room incessantly, Stefan was lounging lazily in a chair still nursing his eyes and Damon was leaning against the wall, becoming more and more unnerved with every minute that he was stuck in here. He was not a patient person, and he most definitely didn't have the patience necessary to stay here, he didn't know how Katherine had lasted even a day in the tomb, she must have been bored out of her mind.

"Because we can't have his body in here in case someone comes in." Damon decided to take the practical approach. Being in a room with Stefan was testing him in more ways than one, if he had to kill Stefan at some point he would rather not have to spend hours alone in a room with him before it happened. He didn't want to have to think about it, he wished that he switch was still there, but Rose had been right. Rose. This was like that, if he had to kill Stefan-

"We could toss him out the window right? Once he's dead the binding spell won't work on his body." Damon gave her that look that told her she was making a stupid suggestion.

"How do you want to explain that to the people having a smoke on the patio?" He saw Caroline think about the fact that the patio was only a few windows to the right of this room and people would probably notice a body being tossed out, and the people that were doing the tossing.

"Why are you so intent on killing me Caroline? I thought we were friends?" Damon wondered how the hell Stefan could go from sounding so lucid to looking like some crackhead junkie in seconds. Damon didn't think Caroline would be so touchy, but evidently she was, she had raced over to Stefan, grabbed him from his seat and pinned him up against the wall.

"You hurt Elena you asshole! Give me one good reason not to poke out your eyes too!" She hissed the words vindictively at him, the veins around her eyes becoming blackened and reddish, and her eyes turning the darkest red possible. It was like a switch flipped in Stefan and he had her pinned to the floor in a matter of seconds, he was older and stronger than Caroline but even Damon hadn't expected Stefan to bite her. Caroline screamed for only a second before the scream was forced away, Damon knew it was the most humiliating thing for a vampire to be fed on forcefully, and seeing it done to Caroline made him curdle with anger. It was like watching her be raped, the tears and the helpless whimpers as Stefan was forcing himself upon the girl and taking what he wanted. He was pulling Stefan off her with more strength than he thought necessary and broke a chair to get his hands on a piece of wood, not caring if someone heard them trashing the room and suddenly completely oblivious of _who _it was that he was about to kill, just that he had to go.

He didn't know what he was thinking, he wasn't sure how, but somehow Damon was sprawled on the floor with a piece of wood piercing his gut and pinning him to the ground and Stefan was above him, hand raised with a stake in his hand. Damon had thought that he heard Elena's voice and it had thrown him off for only a second but it was long enough for Stefan to get the upper hand and this was it. Brother against brother, for the thousandth time, and Damon was about to lose, he was about to fail. The look in his little brother's eyes was pure fury, and animalistic instinct and all Damon could think of was Elena. How he was failing to protect her.

* * *

"Stefan! No!" Elena screamed the sound coming out in a strangled sob at the realization of what was happening in front of her. She ran into the room realizing very well how stupid it was to run straight towards the thing that wanted to kill her so badly.

* * *

Jeremy ran into the room that held some of the artifacts to find the redheaded girl lying on the floor whimpering, she was shaking badly and Jeremy could see the blood that was staining her black dress. That was when he noticed the knife, he knew that knife, it was his, or at least it had been in his room last time he checked. He walked over, without hesitating and pulled the girl up on her feet, forcing her out the room, she cried and whimpered and tried to play the hurt victim card but it wouldn't work on him. He was bound and determined to get her to Bonnie who was waiting outside. Jeremy had formed a quick plan, where he went in to look for the witch and maybe lure her out or even drag her out, like he was doing now, since he had his ring he was less prone to actually dying from a spell, even if she tried something on him like she was doing now.

He felt a tugging that was pulling him back towards the crowd of people but Jeremy turned to her and turned the knife in her shoulder she whimpered again and the tugging in his gut dissipated and he dragged her outside to where Bonnie was waiting. She had gotten rid of her little shoes and was standing barefoot in the damp grass. She said it helped her connect to the elements or something.

* * *

Damon was coughing blood badly, as Elena stepped in the room her instinct had been to rush to his side but instead she was intercepted by Stefan who stood before her. He had never looked taller or more intimidating and Elena was suddenly reminded of everything that he'd done to her. It came back to her like a cold wind crashing into every fibre of her being and she felt herself physically cringe from him. Damon wasn't between them now, she was no longer protected by everyone around her, it was just her and Stefan. Moment of truth and she was terrified. He loomed over her and trailed a finger along her cheek, she shivered but suddenly remembered what the girl had told her, and she trailed her eyes down his neck and his chest, his arms. Where was it?

She whimpered when he started to move in on her, encroaching into her personal space more and more until he had her pinned back against the wall and she held up her hands to shove against his chest. No, no, no. The words going through her mind were nonsensical repeats of the things she'd screamed that night that he'd attacked her. She wanted to close her eyes and wake up safe in Damon's arms the way she'd done before but when she blinked Stefan was still there and she was still afraid.

The darkness in and around his eyes disappeared for a moment and she remembered him. The way he used to be and the fear slowly started dripping away, just long enough for her to get mad, really furiously angry. She let her stubbornness and her fire creep over her and fuel her to push him and punch him, she didn't care how much it hurt. No more fear, she thought. _I'm done being the victim. _The words had become her mantra but it helped, she felt as if she was redeeming herself in fighting, she was not giving up, not now, not when she had something worth fighting for. And then she saw a glint of a chain, as she was pushing against him, making very little headway she saw the glint of a silver chain at Stefan's neck just below the collar of his shirt. She pushed past him just long enough to see Caroline helping Damon up who was now staggering and trying to reach the two of them so he could intervene for her. Elena saw a bit of hope and she grabbed onto the little piece of chain and started pulling.

* * *

Jeremy watched as Bonnie grew more and more angry the longer they talked to the girl, he couldn't comprehend why they were still talking about all of this, he guessed that Bonnie needed more information from the girl to be able to undo the spell she'd put on the house, but as Bonnie grew angrier the night's sky grew darker. He didn't know she could do that, but steadily clouds were beginning to gather and in the distance somewhere he could hear thunder rumbling. Somewhere in the back of his mind he made a note of how hot she was right now.

"You people are impossible, you think you can just kill other witches and get away with it? You should know better! You're one of us, Bennett." The girl spat at Bonnie and she lifted her slender hand and slapped the girl. Jeremy had never seen her so angry, and he had thought that she would use her powers instead of just slapping the girl.

"I am nothing like you. If you think that I do what I do to protect the _Salvatores _you've got another thing coming. I protect the people of this town." Jeremy realized the gravity behind her words, and it was true, she'd never done anything just for Damon, or Stefan it had always been to protect other people, Elena was included in that, but she'd also done things to protect the town.

"You killed Jonas and Luka."

"I didn't touch them! I offered them my help but instead they went looking for revenge, they got themselves killed."

"You lying bitch." The girl was upright and Jeremy was about to intervene, holding his dad's knife in his hand when he was flung backwards over the grass. He ignored the pain in his shoulder when he stood up and wondered which one of them had done that. Bonnie might want to deal with this herself. He moved closer again though, just so he could be there if she needed him, and at least he could hear them.

"Your _friends_, were working for Elijah, and Jonas did exactly what you're doing now. He threatened this entire town unless he got Elena, he died for his stupidity." Bonnie was searing with anger and all of a sudden rain shot down on them like a sheet of glass. They all became soaked, the tule in Bonnie's skirt was drenched and clinging to her legs as she encroached on the girl. Jeremy was about to intervene, he didn't think Bonnie would ever forgive herself for killing someone in anger and the heat of the moment but he found himself rooted to the ground as he tried to move closer.

"Bonnie stop!" He yelled over the pouring rain but he didn't think she could hear him over the sound of rushing water and he saw her lift her hands and put them on the girl's face. Both girls were crying and Bonnie was shaking now too as she muttered something that was deafened by the roar of the rain. There was lightning, way too close to them but then Bonnie let go of the girl and walked away, she staggered for a moment and Jeremy was at her side in seconds. He looked over to the girl with the red hair. Meredith that was her name.

* * *

Elena had a firm hold of it just as Stefan had cupped her face in his two big hands, for a moment she thought he would try to strangle her again and she pulled as hard as she could feeling the chain give way to her strength.

"Goodbye Elena."

* * *

"No!" Caroline screamed, a hoarse awful scream and she was on Stefan pummeling him with whatever strength she had left in her. Jeremy and Bonnie walked into the room and Damon walked over to where Elena had sunk to the floor.

No, no, no, no. Not her, not Elena, this wasn't happening, she wasn't dead, this wasn't her. She couldn't be. Damon took hold of her, she was limp in his arms and all Damon could hear were the words screaming in his head. Not Elena, please God not her.

Damon held onto her, he picked her up and held her against him, she didn't move. Her hands didn't wrap around his neck, or curl her fingers in his hair. He couldn't hear anything, couldn't make a sound either, he felt cut down, and beaten. And with every moment that passed the warmth was flowing away from her and she was leaving him. She couldn't be gone, not her, not his angel, she had given him everything. Everything any man could wish for and now it had been taken away from him. She couldn't leave him, he held onto her tightly as if he could keep her here, bring her back by sheer will.

The tears came, it was too late. He'd been too late this time, reaching her only when the deafening crack had already happened, and that was the last thing to ring in his ears. He couldn't hear what was going on around him anymore. He remembered holding her before when she'd held onto him for dear life, her life _had _depended on it and he'd failed her. He'd let her fall.

He kissed her cheeks, feeling grief at the feeling of her lukewarm skin.

He sat there forever, holding her, cradling her, hoping that by some miracle she would wake up the way she had before and wrap her arms and legs around him, kiss him and tell him that she loved him. He needed her love, he was empty without it. He had fought for her, and it hadn't been enough.

There were feet next to her and someone knelt down beside him looking at Elena and then at him, his instincts were telling him to protect her but it was too late. Too late to protect her, protect what? He let Jeremy put his hands on Elena, seeing the tears stream freely down the boy's cheeks as he shook and leaned back against the wall, holding her hand in his and burying his face in his knees like he was a five year old. He wouldn't let go of her hand, the same way that Damon wouldn't let go of her. 

There was a very sudden loud bang behind him somewhere and Damon laid Elena down at the sound, very gently he laid her down on the ground but took her hand in his, not expecting what he'd find in it. In her right hand was a necklace, with some kind of amulet attached to the end. His mind didn't comprehend this as he turned to look at where the bang had come from. The sight he was seeing was shocking and yet it didn't touch Damon, it didn't phase him. Stefan was repeatedly being shoved against a wall by Caroline and Bonnie was standing astonished looking from Elena to Stefan, both the girls were sobbing, and sound finally came drifting back to his ears. Katherine walked into the door and her jaw dropped at what was happening before her.

"How could you do that? Not Elena, why her? How could you do this Stefan? I thought you cared?" Caroline was berating him with questions, pointless questions as Damon stood up and looked into his little brother's face. Stefan looked defeated but when Damon had stood up he had finally caught sight of his handiwork, and he burst out into tears, falling to the floor.

"I didn't- I didn't mean to hurt-" How dare he cry? Damon flung the amulet at him, it hit Stefan in the head hard and his little brother looked up at him. Damon felt disgusted, alone and deserted, and so very disappointed. He couldn't look at Stefan without thinking of her, of what he'd done to her, but he didn't care. Elena was gone and he didn't care what happened to himself or to Stefan. He thought about hurting Stefan, but what difference would it make, really?

"Get out." Damon's voice was thick but monotonous.

"Damon I-" Damon was sure Stefan could see past his indifference, he knew his brother just as well as Damon knew Stefan. He would forever feel like he had to explain himself to his big brother. But Damon couldn't look past this, he had forgiven Stefan for a lot of things, but he couldn't stop hating Stefan for this.

"I said leave. Katherine get him out of here."

"Damon I didn't mean to-"

"But you did Stefan. You took her, like you take _everything_. You played with her, you tortured her and broke her and then you killed her. You ended it, _you_." Damon didn't even bother with the explanation that Stefan had been under the influence of something. Or someone, it didn't matter, she was gone. Nothing mattered. Stefan looked like he was going to speak again but Damon pulled away from his brother. "Just go away Stefan."

He would deal with the aftermath, he always did, he took care of things when they had fallen apart, except now there was nothing to fix, except the human things. He figured he would stay as long as they needed him, and then slip off his ring one day and join Elena. There was no point to any of it unless he had her. Tears came back to him, she had been stolen from him, everything he wished for, he'd had her for days. Just days. He would never be able to love anything as much as he loved her, and she was gone. The loss pierced him again as Katherine took Stefan by the hand and guided him out of the room. She looked at Damon for a moment as if she considered saying something but then she left, leaving them all to their grief and loss.

Damon knelt back down next to Elena and placed his head on her chest, desperately seeking for the sound of her heartbeat, praying that it would come back, that the warmth and happiness would return to her, that those eyes would look deep and dark once more. He needed her love around him, he needed to feel her warmth and her grace when she held him and whispered his name. Needed to know that there was a single person on this earth that would always love him.

* * *

This was oh so very hard to write,... I can tell you that it still gets to me... adding Jeremy's point of view into the mix came mostly from your reviews that you loved him so much, some lines and jokes from him, are actually inspired by my own baby brother who watches Vampire Diaries with me and always comes up with these remarkably true but hilarious comments. (He's 19 btw, in case you were wondering)

Now because of popular demand I have decided to make this longer though I'm not so sure where to go from here... Or do I?... No really I don't but considering the content of this chapter I'm expecting some rather shell-shocked reviews. Let me just say, in my defense that this ending didn't occur to me until I had started writing it...

Clearly though, there are still some loose ends that need to be tied up before I leave you all hanging here with Delena disappointment in your eyes...

There **WILL **be another chapter, so HAVE NO FEAR!

**To Be Continued... ;)**


	7. Kissing You

Jeremy held Elena's hands, his crying had stopped, he wasn't sure what to do next but all he could think of was holding Elena's hands. What else was there? There was no end to Damon's silent tears as he wept over Elena's body. The two of them now sat there in a quiet understanding, not looking at each other, but knowing that the other was there. Caroline finally moved over to Damon and placed her hand gently on Damon's shoulder and Bonnie did the same for Jeremy.

Jeremy saw Damon look at Jeremy and then he wordlessly obeyed Caroline's soft demand to come with her. He couldn't be here for this, Jeremy wasn't sure how they were going to deal with this, Elena was dead and he was alone. Jeremy was completely alone. His only living link to his parents had been completely diminished and how the hell was he going to explain this to Jenna. Tears came back and Jeremy leaned into Bonnie's soft frame but never let go of Elena's hand. He felt like a child, he had lost a piece of himself in Elena and he wasn't sure he could do this again, not alone, what was he supposed to do now?

* * *

Damon didn't know where Caroline was intending him to go, when they came outside the cold air and the rain hit his face and he lifted his eyes up. Closing them to the beating rain against his skin. His love for Elena wouldn't diminish, he couldn't imagine ever not loving her, the only difference was that his love was now his sorrow. One too many.

They passed a girl who was sobbing in the grass, she was clapping her hands together crazily trying to do something and becoming more and more frustrated every time it wouldn't work, and then another batch of tears and sobs came flooding to her.

"I thought Bonnie killed her." Caroline said and Damon realized that she was holding his hand, probably in an attempt to comfort him or something but Damon hardly cared, he hardly felt her presence there.

"She took her powers." Damon explained but then turned his eyes back up, the rain seemed to be coming from a giant black hole if he looked directly up, and he wished that it would swallow him. He wasn't sure what to do next, he didn't want to be around Caroline, he had nothing left in him to provide her with the grief counseling that she seemed to be looking for. He let go of her hand and he ran. Completely unsure of where he was going, just running in the rain, feeling the water making his limbs heavy and cold and hardly hearing Caroline as she yelled after him.

* * *

When Jeremy finally let go of Elena's hand it was only at Jenna's insistence, she got Bonnie to move and she held Jeremy close to her. Jeremy had never appreciated his aunt like this and she kind of smelled like his mom. It didn't help the tears but he didn't care, he held onto Jenna as the only thing grounding him to this earth, as if he would fall apart unless she was there. She was all he had left now, losing Elena was worse than losing his parents. He felt like he'd lost his twin, half of him was gone, Elena had held his hand when he was little and taught him so many small things. Like how to tie his shoes, or how girls only hit you if they kind of like you.

He was at a loss for words at how Jenna was being so collected about all of this, she had a stony expression on her face as she held onto Jeremy while Rick, Bonnie and Caroline were trying to think up some story as to how this could have happened, it always came back to, she must have fallen, it was an accident. They were going over the details when Katherine came back and Jeremy felt like lunging at her.

"What the hell are you doing back here?"

"Took care of Stefan, came back to deal with all _this_." She said disdainfully, making a gesture to the entire room. "Where's Damon?"

"He left." Caroline spoke, tears were flooding to her eyes again but she looked angry, Jeremy saw her blue eyes go really dark and the veins in around her eyes turning reddish and black. "What do you want Katherine?"

Katherine just rolled her eyes and moved over to Elena's body, Jeremy did actually lunge then, grabbing Katherine's arm and forcing her to turn. She turned but grabbed hold of Jeremy's collar and pushed him backwards into the chair that he'd been sitting in before. She leaned down then and Jeremy was about to stand up again and jump her from behind not caring if he died or not when Katherine slapped Elena's face. Jeremy felt physically ill but so angry he could tear out her hair. He felt Ric's big hand grab hold of the back of his collar to hold him back while Katherine smacked Elena harder. Katherine raised her hand to do it again but Elena's hand shot up and intercepted it. She sat up glaring at Katherine, the skin around her eyes was red and the veins black and her eyes, were darker than they had ever been.

"Try that again. I dare you!"

* * *

Elena had thought she was having another nightmare, she'd felt the same fear and seen Stefan's eyes grow dark and scary as he loomed over her but this time had been different and as she began to wake up she realized that she wasn't waking up safely guarded in Damon's arms. Quite the opposite she was being slapped. Elena felt an anger well up in her, she'd been smacked around enough, thank you very much. She reached up and intercepted the smack, not comprehending how she'd known it was coming without even opening her eyes. The air had shifted direction around her face in the slightest way when the hand came up to hit her again, and she'd felt it so closely that she'd had the time to reach up and grab the hand before it struck her. When she opened her eyes, she was faced with her reflection who gave her a knowing smirk as Elena sat up and dared her to do that again.

There were gasps around her as she felt herself regaining her composure somewhat, her mouth was dry and she felt weird. Her skin was humming as if she could feel every shift in the air, every slightest movement against her skin. The silk of her dress and the tough rug that lay beneath her. She stood up and frowned slightly at the stains on her dress, they weren't really stains, just blotches of water, but her eyes weren't adjusting well and they seemed incredibly dark to her.

"Elena?" Jeremy spoke first and she turned to look at him, she gave her little brother a smile and wondered for a moment why he looked like he'd been crying, his eyes were swollen and puffy and he was staring at her incredulously. She felt incredibly stupid, as if her brain wasn't functioning on full speed or something, there was something here that she was missing. Bonnie and Caroline were the first ones to react though, they burst into action and embraced Elena with the craziest hug she'd ever had. They were both on her awkwardly holding her tightly to him. Caroline was manageable but Bonnie, Bonnie smelled way too good to be Bonnie. There was something different about her, she was too soft, and way too warm, it was making her realize how dry her mouth was and then she pulled back. Covering her mouth with her hands at the sudden realization of what had happened.

"Bonnie don't stand so close to me. I'm sorry." She said turning away from her friend and feeling the hunger well up in her, she hadn't thought it would be this bad, it wasn't just hungry, like when you skipped a meal and then felt really hungry later. It was a thirst, like really bad thirst that burned your throat and made swallowing hurt, her whole body was aching for it, to kill something and drink and it shocked her. She couldn't believe how aware she was of it either, Damon and Stefan had always said that young vampires were wild, that it was like flipping a switch, but then she remembered that Damon hadn't been like that. He'd been hurting and grieving and he hadn't done the things that Stefan had, not at first at least.

"Elena, when did you do this? Did Damon-" Jenna sounded angry, like really, really angry and Elena turned around, feeling relieved to smell her vervein perfume on her.

"No, no it wasn't Damon." She said and then covered her mouth again realizing that Jenna looked a little shocked at her appearance. She didn't want to scare her friends. But then there was Caroline who came around to look at her and smiled, really truly smiled that Caroline smile that told her that she didn't care what had happened, she was just happy. Jeremy shot into action too then and stood up, he wanted to move towards her but before he could he looked hesitant.

"Is it ok. If I hug you? I mean it's not weird to be around us is it? Are you like seriously craving?" Elena pulled Jeremy into a big hug but stepped back when it did get a little too much for her.

"It kinda hurts, my head feels weird."

"I know right." Caroline gave her that smile again, Bonnie was frowning at her and turned onto Katherine.

"_You _did this!" She spat accusingly, pointing a finger at Katherine and moving in on her. Elena wanted to stop her but was relieved that Jeremy did it first. Bonnie was always the fastest one to catch on.

"Bonnie don't. I asked for this-" She looked slightly hesitant as she turned to her friends "Katherine did me a favour."

"Why would she do that?" Bonnie spat incredulously.

"Because I wanted Stefan, and now I have him." Katherine shrugged.

"And I wanted to be prepared, just in case, something happened."

"And to be with Damon." Bonnie added, Elena couldn't believe the glares she was getting from Bonnie, Ric and Jenna. Jeremy looked relieved and Caroline just looked happy, Elena hadn't quite decided why she was so happy.

"Would you be happier if I was dead? Like really dead?" She saw Ric and Jenna soften then, and Bonnie only a little, Elena knew that Bonnie felt slightly betrayed, she had only ever put up with the vampires in Mystic Falls for her well-being, but now her two best friends were both vampires and- well Elena wasn't sure what exactly was going through Bonnie's mind, but she was sure it wasn't all in her favour.

"Where is Damon?" Elena asked almost worried to receive another set of glares from people but they all just looked at each other, wonderingly before Caroline spoke up.

"I was trying to take him home, because he looked kind of suspicious, the way he was cradling you but he took off, he's not himself."

"He thinks I'm dead?" Elena turned to Katherine, she would have thought Katherine would have said something about sharing her blood with Elena before Damon went and did something stupid.

"I had to get Stefan out of here, besides there was no talking to him he was-"

"I think he just wanted to be alone, it's not like he was dangerous or anything it was just- He's-" Caroline interrupted again but couldn't seem to finish her sentence.

"Broken." Alaric spoke up and looked truly stricken as if he understood what Damon was feeling. Elena remembered what Isobel had done to Rick and figured that he must know what Damon was going through, but he shouldn't be going through it at all.

"I have to find him. Before he does something stupid."

"Elena you have to feed first." Katherine spoke in a cool voice as if she was amused at the idea of Elena feeding on human blood. Elena swallowed feeling the burning pain that seemed to coarse through every vein in her body and was making her head scream for some kind of sustenance, maybe that was why her skin was humming. "You have to have a human's blood too." Katherine drawled and Elena was sure she was completely amused by the situation as she turned her viciously dark eyes onto Elena's friends with a smirk. "So, any volunteers?"

* * *

Damon didn't realize he'd fallen asleep until he was waking up huddled against the cool stone and listening to the water rushing. He didn't know why he'd come here in the first place, it was stupid, all he wanted to do was drink, blood or alcohol, it didn't really matter. He couldn't stand to be anywhere without Elena, every time he tried to move it became filled with pain, sobs returned to him, making his whole body ache for her. For her kisses and the soft smell of her skin and hair. He had thought he would just stay in Mystic Falls until no one needed him there, but what the hell was he supposed to do without her?

He leaned his head back against the damp stone and closed his eyes again after taking a swig of Jack Daniels. It didn't numb anything like it usually did, it didn't make him feel less edgy or hungry, it was doing nothing for him. But in his current state he doubted that blood would do the trick either. Instead the bottle made a clear clinking sound as he set it down on the smooth stone and he laid down onto his side, his back rubbing uncomfortably against the rough walls of the little cavern, maybe he'd stay here forever. Vampires were creatures of prey, maybe he could go crazy and hunt whatever came across his path, maybe it would make him forget.

* * *

Elena missed Damon, that was what she was focused on now as they were leaving the Lockwood estate quietly and secretly through one of the many doors in and out of the house. Elena wanted to be near him so badly she almost forgot about what she'd just done, it gave her the creeps, she had no idea what Stefan and Damon had been talking about, a switch that you could flip whenever, she wished! She forced the thought out of her mind, Ric had been way too nice in volunteering, since it would have been kind of weird to feed off Jenna or Jeremy and Elena got the sense that feeding from Bonnie would be a big No-No.

She tried very hard to forget the taste, the sensation that she was being filled completely and wholly with an essence of that person. It scared her too a little bit, it felt like sucking the life out of someone, literally, she had felt like she was drawing the life out of Alaric with every pull. She had pulled away the moment Caroline had touched her shoulder though, she'd been so scared, but she did feel the sadness of being pulled from her sustenance. There was a rush, an ecstasy that it brought, and Elena thought this must be what a drug addiction was like, except it was worse since Elena literally couldn't survive without the stuff. Now at least she never had to feed off a living human again, she hoped not. She could live off blood-bags like Caroline and Damon, she never had to hurt anyone.

Elena realized that was probably why she couldn't flip a switch, she had always wanted to keep people safe. She had a thing about innocent people getting hurt, she wouldn't stand for it, and she would be the least likely person to inflict any kind of pain. That selflessness apparently was a vice as much as it was a virtue since now it was amplified like crazy, she was afraid to touch everyone around her, except pretty much Caroline, since she wouldn't break. But when she'd hugged Jeremy and Jenna they'd felt way too fragile and it made her worry, it made her scared for them. She understood now why Damon had in a way treated her like a doll, they were really fragile.

Elena had felt a huge difference though the moment Katherine had left, it was like a weight had been lifted off her chest, now that she was a vampire she could see every inflection of light against Katherine's skin and the curves of her features, and she still couldn't find any differences between the two of them. Katherine had stayed just long enough to enjoy the show of Elena feeding on Ric and then she'd left, giving Elena a look she hadn't gotten yet. It was almost understanding, or grateful, Elena couldn't really tell. Despite the fact that they looked exactly alike Katherine had an entirely different array of facial expressions that Elena couldn't decode.

But now she needed to find Damon, Caroline was trying to show her how to run at vampire speed, apparently though it wasn't something that came naturally, you had to get the hang of it. It took Elena a few times before she could stay at that speed without freaking out at the images flashing past her eyes and she didn't feel the sudden terrifying urge to stop. They got to the boarding house just as Bonnie and Jeremy were pulling up in Jeremy's car.

"Wow, we thought you'd be here already." Jeremy grinned, he seemed to be okay with this whole vampire thing, he was better adjusted than Elena was. She wondered how long it would take her to feel comfortable in her own skin again. Caroline gave him an angry look as they made their way into the boarding house, Elena didn't have to walk any further than the foyer to know that Damon wasn't here the house was perfectly still, Elena was sure she could hear a pin drop. She had never realized before how much the house smelled like him though, amber and sandalwood lingered in the air and Elena almost felt like crying. She sniffled for a second and Caroline turned to look at her with an understanding smile.

"You okay? The mood swings suck I know, it'll pass, here let me get you something to drink." She smiled and pulled Elena to the kitchen, Elena sat down by the table while Caroline went to get some blood for her, she poured it in a glass and handed it to her.

Elena started to drink obediently, surprised at how much she still craved it even though she'd had some not so long ago but then she breathed in sharply as it slicked over her tongue.

"Ugh!"

"Oh I know, it's not as nice when it's cold. But you'll get used to it, and it's better than what Stefan tried to get me to hunt." Caroline crinkled her nose and frowned a little, she looked out the window and her frown turned deeper. "Elena?"

"Mmm." Elena mumbled as she was about to take another sip.

"Do you have a ring or something, for the sun?" Elena looked up at Caroline and shook her head while her friend moved around the kitchen table and closed all the blinds and curtains in the kitchen and living room at vampire speed. "Hang on okay, I'll get Bonnie to do something. Do you have something you wanna use? I didn't get to choose mine." Elena was about to say no, but then she felt the bracelet around her wrist and she happily undid the clasp, handing it to Caroline. It was the perfect thing to use.

* * *

Jeremy, Elena and Caroline stood quietly in the kitchen as Bonnie turned Elena's bracelet into one of those charmed rings or charm-thingy that protected the vampires from the sun. Jeremy worried about Bonnie, and about Elena. And he was worried about how it would effect Elena if Damon went out and did something stupid. Despite what Caroline and Bonnie said, that he was harmless, Jeremy knew that Damon had been completely torn apart by seeing Elena's body. Jeremy himself wasn't over the shock yet, even as his sister sat perfectly alive before him, he couldn't help but remember how her skin had gotten steadily cooler and she'd looked completely lifeless.

Bonnie handed the bracelet back to Elena and when it was clasped safely onto her wrist Caroline opened the blinds to reveal the grey morning sky as the night was only just beginning to relent to the sun. They waited long enough so Elena could really test it and put her hand out into a ray of sunlight, her skin remained completely unscathed and Jeremy breathed a sigh of relief. Bonnie stood up then and this time she really stumbled, falling heavily into his arms as he caught her and held her up against him. She'd done way too much magic for one night, binding spells and protection spells, and then taking that witches' power away. She gave him a weak little smile, like she always did when he held her this close and placed her hands gently on his chest, over his heart the way she always did. He felt himself melt at the sight of her, how could he not have noticed how beautiful she was until a few weeks ago? He was an idiot.

"I'm okay Jer." She tried to sound convincing but her voice just sounded tired.

"You should get some rest." He raised his head for a moment to look at Elena.

"Go ahead and take one of the rooms." Elena smiled at him and he moved to lift Bonnie into his arms. She giggled but pushed away from him.

"I'm perfectly capable of walking Jeremy. I'm not a piece of equipment." She groaned and started walking, he narrowed his eyes for a second and when she stumbled a bit again, he didn't bother doing the whole romantic fire-man hold, he slung her over his shoulder and commenced to carry her up the stairs while she squealed at being so manhandled. He just chuckled.

* * *

Elena felt surprised when Caroline got up from her chair and stretched. "We should get some rest too." She said but Elena felt worry gripping her, she looked over at the clock that read seven a.m. the rain had recommenced and she didn't want to be anywhere until she knew that Damon was okay. That he at least knew that she was alive, she didn't know what this must be doing to him, the thought that she was dead. She needed to get to him before he did something stupid and she lost him altogether.

"You go ahead. I just need to clear my head a bit." Elena gave Caroline an encouraging smile and felt relieved that Caroline didn't think anything of it and went up the stairs. Elena slipped through the french doors in the kitchen out into the woods. Knowing that no one except Caroline would be able to hear her leave and by then they wouldn't know where she'd gone.

Elena thought for a second, stopping in the middle of the woods, she only now realized that she was still wearing the white silk which now had a good trim of mud at the hem, it was completely ruined and now she was getting really wet as the rain continued to drench her. She needed to think, where he could be. There were a few places, the cemetery but then that had always been more Stefan's style, the Grill would be too busy, too many people.

Elena suddenly felt herself smiling as she had an idea of where he might be, she felt herself growing hopeful and instantly lighter at the prospect of seeing Damon again. Holding him in her arms and telling him how much she loved him.

* * *

Damon slept, and forced himself to keep sleeping even as he thought he heard something stir near him, maybe it was an animal looking for shelter from whatever storm was brewing outside. There was a shuffling against the cool stone and Damon didn't bother to open his eyes when it came closer to him. He didn't care if it killed him, he didn't care.

"Damon?" Great, now he was hearing voices, her voice. He felt like sobbing, this was worse than just missing her, imagining her was so much worse. Because she wasn't real.

* * *

Elena found him huddled up against the damp stone walls of the cavern, he was cowering there, eyes shut tightly against whatever it was he was fighting.

"Damon?" She whispered softly again and brushed away a strand of hair from his forehead. He shuddered and sobs came bursting out of him painfully, he wouldn't stop shaking his head and he tried desperately to turn away from her, as if he would curl up into the stone if he could. She shook her head, he couldn't do this to himself, not after everything he'd shown her. She knew that she was the only thing that could pull away the layers that he'd built around him, she couldn't afford to let him retreat now. Not when they finally had a real chance at forever.

* * *

"Damon, open your eyes." Her fingers brushed his face again and he became angry, this wasn't right, if this is what it was going to be like he'd rather just take off his ring and surrender to the sun. But then her voice became more forceful, the way she was when she was angry.

"Damon for crying out loud would you look at me?" Damon's eyes shot open to look at the demanding voice, he had expected to see nothing but now he was scared to blink for fear that she might disappear again. She couldn't be real, she was clad in her white dress, but soaking wet, too real for her to be a spirit or a figment of his imagination. He wouldn't have imagined her dripping from the rain with mud on the hem of her dress. She smiled at him, her warm, perfect angelic smile and Damon reached out for her. Touching her cheek gently with his fingers. He couldn't comprehend how this had happened, he hadn't given her blood, he had practically forbidden it.

"You-?" She nodded and held his hand more firmly to her cheek. Letting him feel the subtle warmth, not the searing heat that he'd gotten used to from her human form.

"You didn't really think I would take no for an answer did you?" She smiled and Damon tumbled onto her.

* * *

Damon was running his hands over every inch of her body, being a little bit rough but Elena didn't mind, she could tell that all the kisses and the touches were partially to sate his love for her but also to satisfy him that she was really there. That he was touching her and kissing her and holding her and that she was very real. Her dress had disappeared, as had his shirt, and pants; Damon wanted every piece of skin available to him that he could get his hands on and Elena hadn't objected to it, as long as he lost the shirt.

Damon stopped suddenly, looking into Elena's eyes and she smiled as she realized the impossible blue colour they really were, there were tiny flecks of grey in it that made them catch the light and made them look so bright. She was mesmerized at all the small lines in his face that she'd never noticed before, her new senses were driving her wild with desire for him, her love for him seemed amplified as if her heart had swelled in size to make room just for him. To take all of him in properly for the first time in her life. It was her turn to run her hands up his bare arms and shoulders and slide her fingers gently down his chest. She wrapped her arms around him and pulled him onto her for a kiss, not caring that they were naked in a cave in the middle of the woods. Her need to be close to Damon was overpowering every sense of rational thought in her.

* * *

"I love you Damon." She whispered the words directly into his ear, leaving a lingering breath on his skin before she kissed his neck and he pulled her up to sit with him. He needed to look into her eyes her dark eyes that still seemed so bright, he wasn't sure how such dark eyes could look so much like the night's sky. She looked at him and ran a finger down his face, suddenly looking at him more seriously. Damon felt his body relish in her touch and he didn't ever want to lose it again.

"Elena, don't ever put me through that again. I can't- you have to understand -please don't ever do anything like that-" Words were becoming hard for him in this moment.

"Oh Damon. I'm so sorry, I didn't think it would happen like that." She wrapped her arms around his neck and held him tightly to her, curling her fingers in his hair and letting him nuzzle into her neck as he spoke.

"You just- I can't, Elena. It physically hurts when you're gone- I can't function. I don't know how to be without you." He couldn't believe he was confessing all this to her, he would never admit any of this to anyone else. However plain it might be to the people who had been present last night. But he meant every word as he pulled her back a bit so he could look her in the eye. He was frowning and she looked like she was responsible. He was an idiot, she was hypersensitive, and she'd always blamed herself for everyone else's pain, that would only be worse now that she was a vampire. He didn't need to tell her that he'd been in pain at her loss. She moved to straddle him interlocking her fingers with his and pulling them around behind her back as she kissed him sweetly. He thought he would never taste her soft lips again and yet here he was. A wave of relief washed over him as she ran her hands up and down his arms. Pulling away from the kiss to look into his eyes.

"I swear I will never leave you again." He smiled at the words and placed the smallest of kisses on her nose, his hands roaming over the smooth skin on her back. "You're officially stuck with me forever Damon Salvatore." He grinned then, his old familiar grin that was reserved only for teasing Elena. He felt himself settle into a sense of normalcy, even more than before, Elena was his, completely and only his.

He cupped her face in his hands and pulled her face to him. Kissing her passionately and pushing her onto her back, his hands scanning over her exposed neck and collarbone, her breasts and her smooth ribcage and stomach. He felt the need to remember every gasp and whimper that came from her, making a point of lingering whenever that happened. Her hands were all over his chest and his back, pulling him closer to her, his name playing on her lips ever so softly whenever he pushed her in just the right place. She turned him over, slowly returning each favour. She would kiss him hotly and then blow on the dampened area, causing him to shiver and harden even more if that was at all possible.

Damon couldn't believe how liberating it would be not to have to worry about holding back with her, he could move her and take her over and over again. When he finally pushed into her, she cried out, there were tears in her eyes again but she smiled brightly at him, kissing him as he slid in and out of her, making her whimper for more faster and just as he felt himself falling apart he felt her fangs pierce his neck.

Damon leaned back to look at her and kissed her, tasting his own blood on her lips but revelling in the feeling of filling her so completely. No one had fed on him while he made love to them, not since Katherine, and it was so different with Elena. He didn't mind being so carefully exposed to her dark honest eyes. She saw him for everything that he was and she still loved him, his angel.

He kissed her, not thinking about what their love would cost them. What would happen now that Elena was a vampire and she couldn't be used to break the curse. Everything had changed in the coarse of a night, and he didn't care if it all came crashing down on him. In this moment he got to have her, she was his, and all he could think of was that he was kissing the woman that he loved. And he did love her.

* * *

AAAAH this took forever... It was very difficult to write an ending, to wrap everything up, clearly I could NOT LET ELENA DIE! lol Although I'm a sucker for tragedies, it simply would not do in a fanfic, I mean honestly... who the hell in their right mind would just kill off Elena?

Well maybe there's a bunch of people out there... so no offense to them but I still Needs to get my fix of happy endings. :)

I also thought to add some Jeremy and Bonnie fluff, just because you all seemed to love him so much, and I tried my very best to stay true to the characters and include some of the 'rules' that have been laid down in the TV show... for example the whole thing about your character traits being on overload. And I figured since Elena is always blaming herself for everyone's trouble and always, always, always trying to help people that would probably be what stood out for her. In the sense that she couldn't just flip the switch the way Damon and Stefan once did... it just didn't seem appropriate to her character to do that either you know?

Although I discarded the whole, you have to kill to become a vampire... it just wasn't right for Elena, and I've never read a vampire novel... and I have read my fair share... I LOVES ME SOME ANNE RICE! Where killing their victims was necessary to become a full fledged vampire... usually they just have to exchange blood, and in some cases, they have to taste human blood... but not necessarily kill...

And as for Katherine and Stefan, I considered writing a chapter on them, but it seemed to just deviate way too far from my original storyline... if you want an idea of what happens to Stefan, I imagine him locking himself up in some shady motel with Katherine trying to convince him that it wasn't all his fault, and trying to comfort him before finally fessing up to feeding Elena her blood. Don't know what would happen after that, I figure Stefan being the repentant broody little bugger that he is would exile himself to the middle of nowhere so he could _think _about what he did... that seems a Stefanesque thing to do... yes I just made up a stefan word... if you notice in an earlier chapter I did the same for Damon... maybe they should make colognes lmao... but I digress...

I did leave it open ended because I figured if I ever wanted to return to it, I could... or if any of you would like to have a go at it, feel free... just lemme know if you do because I'd be super curious to know what spin you guys take on this.

Oh and I noticed that this website does NOT let you post links for some strange reason, so if you are at all curious to know what Elena's bracelet looks like you can go to Google images and type in "diamond mesh with lapis lazuli bracelet" the first two images are what I took the idea from.

I'm also going to post a list of songs that partially inspired me during some of these chapters, you'll see that I'm not exactly original in the choosing of titles for the chapters since they've all been named after significant songs, usually those were the ones that I had playing on repeat, or couldn't get out of my head at work. Also they make a fantastic playlist for reading this story or just if you like indie/rock/alternative... Aaaaaaaaaand I just realized i'm offering up my music taste on a silver platter for remarks... oh well...

Other than that I would like to thank all of you for following this so diligently, you've all been very kind to me considering that this is my first time writing a fanfic, i truly hope you enjoyed it so far...

Peace out! SMOTHER THE BASTARDS ALL WITH LOVE!

Songs:

Kissing You- Des'ree

Mmm- Laura Izibor

All the Same- Sick Puppies

No Other Love- Chuck Prophet

Broken- Seether

Set the Fire to the Third Bar- Snow Patrol

Apologize- (original version not the timbaland crap) One Republic

I Was Wrong- Sleeperstar

Stolen- Dashboard Confessional

Iris- GooGoo Dolls

I Need Some Sleep- Eels

Chasing Cars- Snow Patrol

Only One- Alex Band

Good to You- Marianas Trench Ft Kate Voegele

Fast Car- Tracey Chapman

Lost- Anouk

My Side Of The Story- Hodges

Are You Alright? - Lucinda Williams

Lips of An Angel- Hinder

Samson- Regina Spektor

We Are One- Kelly Sweet

People Aint No good- Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds

God Bless The Child- Michelle Featherstone

Coffee and Cigarettes- Michelle Featherstone

Fireflies- Ron Pope

Surprisingly So- Amy Seeley

Missing you- Tyler Hilton

last but not least... **Waiting On An Angel** by Ben Harper... I love this song... forever...


	8. Old Lights

**Author's note: **_I've been watching TVD on tv. lately and it seems that the writers and directors and producers of the show still haven't caught onto the fact that Damon is waaaaaaaay more interesting a character than Stefan is. Also Ian Somerhalder is not only hotter, but I find he's overal a better actor than Paul Wesley, something I noticed in the most recent episode, where I noticed that Paul Wesley's hand gestures look forced and over the top... I can't believe I've never noticed that before. Anyway, I'm sick and tired of poor Damon Salvatore getting his ass handed to him in every single episode, and out of sheer frustration this next chapter sort of developed ;)_

_I hope you enjoy... Let me know if you have any ideas, suggestions, comments, reviews... your opinions are always welcome! _

* * *

Elena huffed as she walked through the door and dumped her bag in the hallway. She kicked off her shoes and walked to the kitchen, grabbing a bag of blood and then making her way upstairs, ignoring the fact that she was leaving a trail of clothes to their room. She was tired and she couldn't believe how much she hated school now. She used to like school, she liked learning new things, and that was still true but now she couldn't focus. Everywhere she turned she could hear heartbeats and feel how the people around her were unnaturally warm and fragile. She couldn't move through the hallways without being bumped and when she got bumped or shoved she felt angry and then guilty.

She turned on the hot water and then listened to it run into the tub as it droned out any other sound, that was the other thing, there was too much noise at school, people rustling papers and the annoying ticking of people texting secretly on their phones, constant whispers that she overheard. It was incredible how much people gossipped about each other. She could fill a book with the things she knew about her old friends, the people she'd grown up with. She couldn't believe a girl would lie about losing her virginity or the rumour that Tyler had joined a cult, though that wasn't as far off from the truth as they realized. If only they knew.

She was sick of the messed up rumours and gossip as she peeled off her clothes on the way to the bedroom and then on to the bathroom. At least the house was quiet, she added some salts to the hot water and took another sip from her blood, she'd been craving it all day. She reached for her ipod slipping out of her underwear before stepping into the hot water slowly and sinking to her chin in the bubbles. She closed her eyes at the first notes of the music from her ipod and listened quietly to Magnet drowning out any other sound. She didn't want to think about school, or gossip, or her friends, or the blood, or the vampire drama that constantly surrounded her.

* * *

Damon came home and nearly tripped over Elena's bag and shoes. She didn't do this very often, when she did it spelled out trouble, he had noticed over the past month or so that she was a very neat person, she was only messy when she was upset about something. Elena didn't just get upset, she hated being weepy and so instead she would get angry, especially since the incident with Stefan, she refused to be victimized by anything. Even the fact that she was a new vampire and it made her more emotional. She refused to let that take over her life, he'd told her that school was a bad idea but she was convinced that she could handle it and Damon was practically paying off Caroline to keep an eye on her despite the whole situation with Matt.

He followed the trail of clothes she'd left behind on the way up to the bedroom, to any other man that would be a sure sign of getting lucky but Damon knew she would be in no mood at the moment. He picked up her shirt off the stairs and her jeans and her camisole from the bedroom floor. He could smell the jasmine bathsalts coming from the bathroom before he even opened the door, Elena had her head tilted back against the bathtub, her eyes were closed and she was listening to her Ipod. He saw her smile sweetly before she turned her head towards him and opened her dark eyes, Damon rid himself of his clothes very quickly and crawled into the tub behind her, letting her lean into him, he nuzzled his nose into her damp hair before kissing her ear ever so slightly. He had sworn he would never take this for granted, his heart swelled every time he saw her and every time she let him come near her like this, and hold her and kiss her. She never flinched, it had been completely natural ever since he'd confessed his love for her and he'd discovered it was mutual. He kissed her ear and the area just beneath it until a moan finally escaped her and he felt her slump a bit into his chest, he knew her so well, better than he ever thought he would. He wouldn't ask her what was wrong, he wasn't the type of person to do that, and unless it involved some imminent danger with Klaus or one of the originals he wasn't really that interested in her former human life. He didn't quite understand how she was still so insistent on being part of it, he understood her ties to her family and her friends, Bonnie and Caroline, the three of them had been as inseparable as triplets ever since Elena had become a vampire. But he didn't understand the rest. She had an eternity to go to school, college, he could have documents forged for her if she didn't even feel like finishing High School at the moment. But nothing was ever simple with Elena, Damon had long since come to terms with that, though it made arguing with her absolutely impossible.

He had thought that her being a vampire would make things easier, Klaus couldn't use her to break the spell anymore which meant that they would probably have to leave Mystic Falls sooner rather than later, he had destroyed Katherine's family when she'd made the same choice, simply out of vengeance and Damon wasn't sure where that left Elena's family. They weren't precisely defenseless though, not anymore, Jeremy being somewhat immortal and Jenna was actually quite resourceful and then there was always Bonnie and Caroline. Damon knew, as much as he disliked Bonnie that she would protect Mystic Falls with her life, that was the fate of the Bennett family it seemed, and Caroline wouldn't let anything happen to her town or the people she cared about.

"Damon?" Elena mumbled before she blew a bunch of bubbles out of her hand and into the air.

"Elena?" He answered her in the usual way, she seemed to appreciate the small ritual, but this time it left her silent for a moment. He wrapped his arms around her, he wasn't sure what had brought on this melancholy in her, she usually refused to get like this, she would fight him on everything before she let herself get like this, God forbid she ever cry.

"We can't stay here." It wasn't a question just a statement as she leaned her head back and gazed out into nothing in particular. He'd dreamt of taking her away to exotic places but not for these reasons, that had never been the plan, nothing ever went according to plan though, and Damon had never thought he would actually get the chance to go anywhere with Elena as his girlfriend so he'd never put much stock in it. "But what if Klaus comes to Mystic Falls?"

"Mystic Falls is not as defenseless as you think it is Elena. Especially with Bonnie here, and Klaus doesn't know that you're a vampire yet. That works to our advantage."

"How long do you think that bit of information will stay secret?"

"Well he also doesn't know that Bonnie's alive and not dead."

"Yeah, you ever put me through that again and I'll kill you by the way." Damon chuckled, he couldn't help himself, her threats were no longer empty and it made her dangerous and so damn sexy. She turned around then, all her sweet bits were still hidden by the bubbles and Damon wanted so much to lean forward and kiss the life out of her but instead he leaned back casually and looked at her, giving her that smirk that she hated so much. "What are we going to do Damon?"

"Am I hearing this correctly? Miss Elena Gilbert doesn't have a plan?" He teased a bit before looking at her more seriously. "You know what I think Elena. I thought we should have left weeks ago."

"Make everyone think I'm dead, and you left town." she frowned at him as if it was still the dumbest plan she'd ever heard of. He didn't like it when she did that, she always wanted to do things her way but she wasn't the doppleganger whose life was hanging by a thread anymore. She was a vampire who had to make some serious decisions and soon, because it wasn't about her anymore, it was about her family.

"Well yeah." He said, wanting her to listen to him more seriously. "If Klaus thinks you're dead, he'll go after the person who killed you, not your family, and not you."

"And if I'm dead he won't haunt my family for the next Petrova doppleganger?"

"Your family are Gilberts not Petrovas, even Klaus wouldn't be stupid enough to do that. He'd be better off finding out if Isobel had any other family and following that line." Damon saw that she was seriously considering it, he knew that she was too stubborn to give into it immediately but she would weigh out the pros and cons of this plan in her mind over and over again before finally making a decision. That was a habit she'd have to get rid of eventually, she needed to learn how to make decisions quickly and based more on instinct, that's what had kept him alive over the centuries. Survival was about being quick on your feet and acting on your instincts when they tell you where to turn. She turned around again and handed him her shampoo bottle, making him wash her long dark hair for her, he massaged her scalp gently, knowing that she had her eyes closed and was thinking about it while he did this. The bubbles were beginning to dissipate, revealing her smooth back and shoulders, and her long slim neck.

She didn't speak again until the tub was draining and Damon was towel-drying his own hair, she wrapped her arms around his chest from behind and kissed the spot between his shoulder-blades. He could feel her warm breath against his back and the smell of her damp skin was making his mind go wild.

"Where would we go?" She asked quietly and he smiled to himself before turning around and cupping her cheek in his hand. He was still smiling, that mischievous grin that told her he had an idea. He didn't really, but he knew a few places she might like and he also knew that she loved that smile just as much as she hated it. She raised an eyebrow like he'd predicted and he picked her up, she wrapped her legs around his waist almost instinctively as he carried her back into the bedroom. Their bedroom.

* * *

Bonnie came bounding through his front door without any form of invitation and Damon couldn't help the peeved look that was spreading across his face. He didn't much like the witch especially now that she was siphoning other witches powers. He watched her carefully as she found her way into the kitchen where he was reading a newspaper.

"Where is she?"

"You're not supposed to be here." He responded refusing to take his eyes off the article he was reading and took a sip of his mug that wasn't filled with coffee, deliberately ignoring her question. He had no intention of doing her any favours when she showed up unannounced like this.

"Damon we have a problem."

"What else is new?"

"Klaus is on his way to Mystic Falls." Damon finally looked up from his newspaper and set down the mug, moving the paper aside and leaning forward to get a better look at the dark girl who was always disdainful towards him.

"How do you know that?"

"That doesn't matter right now. Damon I'm telling you this is bad news, you need to get out of town with Elena and-"

"You need to get back to your little hide-away with Jeremy and now would be a good time for Jenna to get out of town too." Damon finished her sentence, he'd seen this coming for a while. If they had gone with his plan in the first place they wouldn't have to make such a mess of things but now it was too late in the game to play the innocent-dead-girl card, even though Klaus didn't know that she was a vampire.

"If you guys leave he won't come after you?"

"Of course he will but at least it'll keep him out of Mystic Falls."

"What about faking her death?"

"Well you're the psychic here Bonnie, do we have time to organize that?" Bonnie hesitated for a moment as she frowned at Damon for his snide little comments, he widened his blue eyes at her as if daring her to contradict him.

"Bonnie, do we the time?" Elena came in then, clad in a tank-top and short shorts, her long dark hair was falling over her shoulders as she started pulling it back in a ponytail to reveal her long slim neck, Damon nearly drooled at the sight of all that bare skin. She saw him eyeing her and only gave him a knowing smirk before sitting down on one of the chairs and looking at Bonnie more intently.

"The news wouldn't get to him in time, but by the time he gets to Mystic Falls you can be dead and buried."

"Cremated." Elena interjected and Damon felt a little impressed, Klaus would undoubtedly want proof of Elena's death and no one else's but if she were cremated he wouldn't be able to tell if the ashes were hers or not.

"We'll have to find a compromise on that. Cremation will make him suspicious, no one else in your family has ever been cremated." Damon added in.

"Damon you can't go grave digging for a body that might look like Elena's."

"Who said anything about grave digging?" He glared back at Bonnie, honestly that girl's opinion of him was sometimes absolutely appalling. "You witches are so dramatic. There's a much simpler way to handle this."

* * *

Jeremy could not believe he was doing this, it was beyond weird, it was kind of sick. But this had in some strange way become his life, he was now in the middle of nowhere with Elena's car waiting for Damon, Elena and Bonnie. He wasn't thrilled about the idea of Elena going anywhere, he felt like he'd just gotten her back and now she was being forced out again. But it was better than her being maimed, tortured and killed by some age-old vampire. And he trusted Damon, that might be a stupid decision on his part, but he had no doubt that Damon would do everything he could to protect Elena, and as much as they all disliked him at times. Damon was a freakishly resourceful vampire, Jeremy figured if Elena had to be one of them at least she could learn from the best. He wasn't entirely sure how Damon was planning on doing this but the guy seemed to have a plan, when he pulled up and got out of the car. He moved to the trunk and pulled out a big black bag, Jeremy knew what was in it. There was no point in asking, he just turned his head away and tried not to think about it too much since it was absolutely gross. Stealing bodies from a morgue was so not right, in so many ways.

"You're sure this is going to work?" Jeremy couldn't help but look over Damon's shoulder as he unzipped the black bag and began placing the girl in the driver's seat. He even clipped her seat-belt which Jeremy thought was slightly ridiculous.

"It'll work, I just don't know if Klaus will buy it. We're just going to have to wait and see."

"Won't they know it's not her? I mean with DNA and everything?"

"DNA denatures after a certain temperature, and a car fire can get as hot as 815 degrees Celsius that's more than eight times water's boiling temperature. This body won't be recognizable in any way. You'll be the surviving victim who will testify that Elena was driving and no one will know any better."

Jeremy still didn't like this plan, it somehow didn't seem right to trick people into believing that Elena was dead when she wasn't, or not completely at least. Bonnie finally got out of Damon's car and glared at him for a moment before Jeremy made his way over to her. He felt like he needed to intervene, but part of him just wanted to get away from that body. It wasn't like he'd never seen a dead body before, he'd probably seen one too many actually. But this was different, he felt like he was somehow desecrating this girl's memory or something.

"She was a homeless girl Jer. No family, no friends, don't feel bad about this." Damon watched him closely and Jeremy composed himself, forcing himself not to think about that girl but Elena, and Mystic Falls. Klaus coming to his town was a huge problem and this would fix it, at least partially, it would keep Bonnie from sacrificing herself, the way she always insisted on doing.

"Damon, I know I can't come out of this completely unscathed, but go easy on me alright?" Damon chuckled, and Jeremy already knew that this was going to hurt, but it had to look genuine.

* * *

Elena got out of the car when she saw what they were doing. Jeremy was already bleeding and Bonnie and Damon weren't doing anything about it. She moved faster than she'd intended but reached Damon just a moment too late, he had sent Jeremy flying down the road and Bonnie was now dealing with Elena's car. Elena had no idea that it had meant that they would wrap the car around a tree and send it up in flames with someone else's body in it. This all just seemed beyond wrong to her, and the only person she could see that was responsible for it was Damon. The worst part was that he was hurting Jeremy, and Jeremy was taking it, as if this was the only solution to everything.

"Damon what are you doing?" She shoved him hard and tried to run over to Jeremy but Damon grabbed her by the wrist and kept her from going anywhere near him. She fought against him and turned around to fight him harder if she had to. Damon was frowning at her, furiously and now grabbed hold of her other wrist.

"Don't Elena, you can't go near it." Elena fought hard to hit him, but he was older and stronger than her, and he looked mad. "What did I tell you about that?" She knew Damon was referring to the last time she'd tried to hit him, he'd been furious then too. But this time it was for an entirely different reason, and he wasn't the only person furious. Elena loved Damon but there was no way in hell she would stand for anyone laying a hand on Jeremy, who was sprawled at the side of the road and not moving at the moment. She could see him breathing and hear his heartbeat but his arm looked like it was pulled at an odd angle. And she didn't know why Damon wouldn't let her go near him.

"Let go of me, now!" She threatened but he wouldn't relent to her, he looked just as angry as she was, damn him and those freakishly blue eyes as they glared back at her. She couldn't believe the anger that surged through her, and it was taking over her like she couldn't control it. All she wanted was to check on Jeremy, and Damon, damn him for being so big. She shoved him and really felt the anger well up in her when she found him immovable. Her frustration with him became overwhelming and suddenly she could feel it overpowering her, becoming something it wasn't, she could feel it masking her face, and her being, and surpassing the part of her that was telling herself to calm down and think about what she was doing. Every feeling except the anger dissipated from her, making her forceful and terrifying.

She moved again, and managed to shake Damon's grip from her wrists before she pulled away entirely and ran faster than he had anticipated, she reached Jeremy before he did but she hadn't expected the smell. She knew that smell, but she hadn't anticipated it to smell so fresh, so much more appealing than the bloodbags, or even the smell of a person. She hovered for only a small moment before her instincts took her over and she found herself reaching to grab Jeremy.

Damon grabbed her by the back of her coat and had her pinned up against a tree farther away from Jeremy than she wanted to be. Damon shoved her harder than she thought necessary and she couldn't believe how angry it made her, she didn't care that it was Damon, she fought against him, pushed and hit him as hard as she could, screaming before Damon finally had her completely pinned and she finally noticed that he had been saying her name.

"Elena it's me. You need to focus." Elena finally felt herself taking a breath, not that she needed one but the air into her lungs seemed to somehow help her, and Damon's voice came into focus better. Like the muddled sound had suddenly become clear and her other senses returned to her. She didn't feel the hunger or the anger anymore, Damon had a firm hold on her and she felt as if she was returning to her body. Like she could suddenly feel again. Damon had a concerned look on his face and Elena couldn't quite comprehend why, when she looked past him she could vaguely see flames and figures past the trees. They had to be way out for her not to see them all clearly.

The realization of what she'd almost done hit her and she drew in a breath again, this time taking a step back from Damon. How she could have lost control like that was so far beyond her she was shaking. She closed her eyes, desperate to compose herself, in fear of what would happen if she let herself get overly afraid, or upset. Why the hell did she get so angry? How could she not have experienced this yet? She'd been a vampire for over a month and she'd never felt like this before, her emotions were all over the place, she felt manic. Damon reached out for her again, he had that look on his face, the look he got when Elena was upset and he wasn't entirely sure what to do about it. He usually managed the right thing, but right now she didn't think anything he said or did could help her.

"Elena I know it's confusing but you need to let it happen-"

"What do you mean? I can't let that happen again!" It came out in a panicked whisper, she knew she sounded scared and Damon looked at her carefully with those impossibly blue eyes, he was scrutinizing her movements and her expressions the way he did when he was trying really hard to say the right thing. The thing was that they usually nudged each other in the wrong direction whenever one of them was in a situation like this.

"I know it's scary, but instead of suppressing it you need to accept it and control it." He looked like he'd been expecting this to happen sooner or later, and Elena wondered how long he'd known that she was going to have some kind of panic attack. That was the only way she could explain her current circumstance. She couldn't comprehend fully what was going on, and it wasn't helping that he was telling her to just roll with the punches. Elena Gilbert never just let anything happen, she always had a plan, she couldn't possibly let this overpower her. This wasn't who she was. She shook her head, and felt the anger welling up in her again, and once again that anger seemed to be directed at Damon, she didn't understand why it all seemed to bunch up right now in this moment. Why couldn't this have happened sooner, so she could have dealt with it before? She knew she was frowning at Damon, she could see every small inflection in his posture as he tensed up and seemed to be preparing himself for something.

"You're angry."

"Yeah but I can't-" She looked at Damon who moved in on her, that felt really wrong, at the moment he seemed like a threat. But Damon wouldn't hurt her.

"Let it happen. Be mad." She shook her head, but Damon encroached on her even more and it was like there was something screaming into her ears that didn't belong to her, but it did. When she let it, she felt right. She didn't quite scream, it was a yell, a cry from her throat that sounded angry as she grabbed hold of Damon and shoved him up against a tree. She felt better, instantly as if some invisible threat had been diminished and now she was looking at the real Damon again, the one she knew wasn't a threat to her. He smiled at her seemingly liking this part of her, he moved her and the fact that he was so much stronger than her was slightly infuriating but she let him, feeling the need to submit to him, his strength and his impressive frame as he turned them around and kissed her slightly aggressively. The anger turned to a different kind of hunger until Damon finally let go of her long enough to run his hands around her body before one finally rested on her breast and the other was wrapped around her to pull her closer.

"Feel better?" He grinned that know-it-all smirk that she loved and hated at the same time, and she was amazed at how right he was.

"How-?"

"That 'switch' I used to tell you about-?" He said seriously, still so close to her face that she could feel his breath on her lips and she was sure that not a single soul near to them could have possibly overheard him. "It's your survival instincts on overdrive, -giving into them- it's dangerous and scary, but if you learn how to focus them properly- They're very useful." She wasn't sure she liked it, but she understood what he'd meant. She remembered being scared of Damon when he'd been like this, there were moments when he was completely unpredictable and she couldn't see the logic behind his movements and decisions but now she could comprehend them. It had been about survival, protecting the things that were his. She had been that, always she had been his. She hid the fact that she was entirely terrified of what it meant to give into those instincts and pulled him closer to kiss him.

* * *

When Jeremy woke up it was the middle of the night and pitch black outside, he didn't freak out at the smell of the hospital sheets and disinfectant. He had expected this, this was the plan, he was just surprised that he remembered everything so well. They had to make it look like Elena had swerved off the road, wrapped the car around a tree, and Jeremy who supposedly hadn't been wearing his seatbelt was sent flying out the window-shield, which had actually proven to be the thing that had kept him alive. He had half expected to wake up and be so beaten up or drugged that he wouldn't remember properly and say something stupid, give them all away. Then their plan would have been shot to hell, but instead he woke up completely clear, just really sore. His shoulder especially was messed up it hurt like a mother-. He squinted against the pain for a second and forced himself to look around the room more clearly, it was most definitely dark but he could make out the hospital bed, and the nightstand, there was a window and two doors. And Elena was here.

"What the hell are you doing here?" He nearly yelled at her, but stopped himself from really raising his voice since he didn't want to draw any unnecessary attention to themselves.

"Would you be quiet, I came in through the window." She hissed at him and moved so he could see her more clearly. She sat down on the bed, the way he had done a couple of times with her. She'd been in the hospital way more than he had, one too many times in his opinion, so now it was his turn and that was alright. As long as Elena got her happy ending and people were generally safe it was alright. And hey, he got Bonnie, it seemed like a pretty good deal but he wasn't sure if giving up his older sister was worth it. He looked at his older sister more carefully now and knew that she was thinking the same thing he was, they would sacrifice their lives for each other's happiness, and that was part of the reason that Elena had to leave. Jeremy knew that as long as they stuck around each other, they'd be a weakness to each other. This was better for everyone involved, but it didn't change the fact that this whole situation was a bitch.

"Keep an eye on Bonnie for me okay?" She asked him finally and he smiled up at her, he didn't really want her to leave, he knew the logic behind it, but she was his big sister. They'd been each other's salvation and comfort for as long as he could remember. What the hell was he supposed to do without her?

* * *

Elena kept her face as hidden as possible, hiding the tears that were fighting their way to the surface and threatening to break her steady resolve in the darkness of the room. She couldn't believe what she was doing, she had never ever imagined separating herself from Jeremy like this, her baby brother. She couldn't imagine a time when she hadn't been there to help him, with anything, everything. Whatever he needed, she was the big sister. She was the one to help him figure out the mystery behind girls and hold his hand on the first day of school, he had made drawings of her in kindergarten and his first word had been 'lena. He was so much a part of her, that vampire or not, she couldn't imagine ever being able to function without him, he was one half of her. How was she supposed to leave him behind? She felt like she was tearing away a limb, slowly and painfully but finally she just hugged him and forced herself out the window, hoping that it wasn't the last time she ever saw her baby brother. At least Damon and Stefan had had each other, in this moment, despite the fact that she was very much loved by the man she truly believed was the one and only person for her, she felt utterly alone. And it was her own doing.

* * *

Elena woke up with the sun pouring through the windows, she could feel it on her bare skin even with her eyes closed and for a moment she forgot where she was. She smiled and forgot the new smell of the place that wasn't her bedroom at home in Mystic Falls but then she heard a door open and close gently and she smiled despite herself. Lovesick trumped homesick anyday, the smell of sandalwood and amber reached her and she turned over onto her back, stretching beneath the light sheets and opening her eyes to see Damon standing by the entrance to their room. He watched her with a frown as she sat up, holding the sheets against her, all the windows were open, letting the sun into their room. The only thing she was wearing was the bracelet he'd given her he moved over to the window holding his cup of coffee, watching her curiously as she moved up, pulling the sheets up with her and going over to the window. She couldn't care less if anyone could see them, they looked like any other newlywed couple vacationing in Bogota. Columbia probably wasn't far enough away from Klaus but she didn't care, it was beautiful and warm, and she was here with Damon who suddenly flashed his smile at her and moved to kiss her.

"Good morning wife." He grinned through their kiss and Elena giggled. It was an ongoing joke, there had been no ceremony and the documents were completely forged but for the moment they were Mr. and Mrs. Jones, in Bogota on their honeymoon.

"Good morning."

"How are you enjoying your honeymoon?" He smiled down at her and Elena thought there was only one thing wrong with this picture. "Are you happy?"

"There's only one thing in the world that could make me happier right now." She said it very seriously and watched the frown reappear on Damon's face. He looked at her very carefully and raised an eyebrow.

"What might that be?"

"This shirt." She pointed at the white cotton shirt he was wearing. "It really has to go." She smiled up at him as the smile reappeared on his face and she started tugging at it, pulling it out of the waistband of his pants and feeling victorious and confident that his shirts would always lose against her.

* * *

_I do so enjoy Elena's ongoing battle with Damon's shirts... lol, hope you like this... part of this was a fluff piece because I'm tired of TVD character development on television... really now, the whole Elena and Stefan being the perfect couple is getting really old. Real relationships don't work like that, Damon and Elena (despite the fact that vampires aren't real) make much more sense to me,... in the books AND the show... anyway, I hope you enjoyed this. This probably won't be the last chapter, with the way things are going on the show and my current state of perpetual boredom... _

_Anyway, thank you to all the wonderful readers who have been following this story so dilligently so far. I truly appreciate you all putting up with my crazy ass... _

_If you have any ideas, please let me know. I'm not always certain where I'm going... any plot suggestions would be wonderful :D_

_See you all next time! Please forgive me if it takes me a long time to write the next chapter..._


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